The crew of Shenzhou-9, including China’s first female taikonaut, Liu Yang, had their first public appearance on Friday 13 July, 2012, since returning to Earth. The crew had performed the first Chinese manned space-docking mission, and the first visit of a crew to the orbiting Tiangong-1 space lab module. Following the 13-day space mission and two week rehabilitation, the trio [...]
Post Tagged with: “taikonaut”
Shenzhou-9: Mission Highlights
Shenzhou-9, which launched on June 16, is only three days into its thirteen day mission but it is already making history. Watch mission highlights, including launching of the first female taikonaut, a crewed docking, and boarding of the first ever Chinese space lab Tiangong-1: Staff WritersMore Posts
Taikonauts Aboard Space Lab After Successful Docking
Shenzhou-9‘s three taikonauts performed a successful automated docking procedure with space lab Tiangong-1 on Monday, June 18. The crew sent live video feed back to Earth as they docked with, then boarded, the space station. The docking procedure, which was identical to that conducted by the unmanned Shenzhou-8 in 2011, was completed in 8 minutes. Three hours later the crew, led by [...]
Shenzhou-9 in Orbit, Ready to Dock
On June 16, China’s Shenzhou-9 spacecraft successfully launched three taikonauts into orbit aboard a Long March-2F rocket. The crew, which includes the first female taikonaut, is slated to make history as the first to dock with and inhabit China’s Tiangong-1 space lab. “We won’t let you down,” said Liu Yang before the launch that made her the first Chinese woman in [...]
Shenzhou-9 Has a Crew and Is Ready for Launch
Shenzhou-9 has entered the final phase of preparation for a June 16 launch after successfully completing a full system test on June 13. “The drill’s results met our expectations”, said Niu Hongguang, China’s manned space program commander in chief, to the Xinhua news agency. The spacecraft also has a crew – finally announced on June 15 after months of [...]
Shenzhou-9 Preparing to Put Crew on Chinese Space Station
A report on June 9 from the official Chinese news agency Xinhua indicates that the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft will be launching aboard a Long March-2F rocket in mid-June. The craft will carry a crew of three and will perform the first manned docking with China’s orbital space lab, Tiangong-1. “It means China’s spacecraft will become a genuine manned shuttle tool between [...]
Shenzhou-9 Launch May Occur in June
Despite prior reports that the Shenzhou-9 mission was to be delayed, it now seems that a June launch could be in the works, carrying a crew of three Chinese taikonauts to space for the first manned docking with the Chinese space station Tiangong-1. In February, the China Manned Space Engineering (CMSE) agency announced that the next Shenzhou would launch between [...]
China ends 2011 with another space milestone
China launched a remote sensing satellite from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center on December 22, 2011 marking a milestone in China’s space program. For the first time, China surpassed the United States in launches conducted from its territory launching 17 rockets compared to the United States’ 16. The satellite, Ziyuan I-02C, was launched at 11:26 am local time aboard a Long [...]
Possible Identities of Chinese Astronauts Revealed
A pair of international space observers claim to have discovered the names of China’s second group of astronauts, or “taikonauts” the identities of whom have been a closely-guarded secret. The alleged discovery was made by Tony Quine, a spaceflight memorabilia collector and contributor to the British Interplanetary Society’s Spaceflight magazine, who discovered a postmarked envelope on a German space dealer’s [...]
