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Shenzhou 17
神舟十七号船箭组合体转运至发射区 计划近日择机实施发射1.png
Shenzhou 17 atop a Long March 2F prior to launch
Mission type Tiangong space station crew transport
Operator China Manned Space Agency
Mission duration 187 days, 6 hours and 32 minutes
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type Shenzhou
Manufacturer China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation
Crew
Crew size 3
Members Tang Hongbo
Tang Shengjie
Jiang Xinlin
EVAs 2
EVA duration 15 hours 17 minutes
Start of mission
Launch date 26 October 2023, 03:14:02 UTC
Rocket Long March 2F
Launch site Jiuquan, LA-4/SLS
Contractor China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology
End of mission
Landing date 30 April 2024, 09:46 UTC
Landing site Inner Mongolia, China
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric orbit
Regime Low Earth orbit
Inclination 41.5°
Docking with Tiangong space station
Docking port Tianhe forward
Docking date 26 October 2023, 09:46 UTC
Undocking date 30 April 2024, 00:43 UTC
Time docked 186 days, 14 hours and 57 minutes
神舟十七号航天员乘组 Shenzhou 17 crew 20231026 1.jpg
Jiang Xinlin, Tang Hongbo and Tang Shengjie
China Manned Space Program
← Shenzhou 16
Shenzhou 18 →

Shenzhou 17 (Chinese: 神舟十七号; pinyin: Shénzhōu Shíqī-hào; literally "Divine Boat Number 17") was a Chinese spaceflight to the Tiangong space station, launched on 26 October 2023. It carried three People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps (PLAAC) taikonauts on board a Shenzhou spacecraft. The mission was the twelfth crewed Chinese spaceflight and the seventeenth flight overall of the Shenzhou program.

As of October 2023, Shenzhou 17's crew is the youngest ever sent to the Tiangong space station, with an average age of only 38 years old.

Background

Shenzhou 17 was the sixth spaceflight to the Tiangong space station, lasting just over six months.

The spacecraft entered the launch area in April 2023, prior to launch was maintained in a state of near-readiness if needed as a lifeboat for the Shenzhou 16 crew.

The crew of Shenzhou 17 was announced on 25 October 2023.

Mission

The flight launched from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on 26 October 2023 at 09:46 UTC, near the end of the Shenzhou 16 mission. Approximately 6.5 hours after launch, the spacecraft docked with the Tianhe core module's forward docking port.

Following docking, the crew entered the station and were greeted by the crew of Shenzhou 16, with whom they would share a four-day overlap between the two missions prior to Shenzhou 16's departure. The two crews sent a televised message to Mission Control as part of a handover ceremony, which was also livestreamed by Chinese national television broadcaster CCTV.

The mission ended on 30 April 2024, 9:46 UTC with a landing near the launch site in Inner Mongolia.

Spacewalks

On 21 December 2023 BJT, the first scheduled spacewalk of Shenzhou 17 was carried out by Tang Hongbo and Tang Shengjie through the airlock of the Wentian lab module. Tasks included a repair test of the Tianhe core module's solar panels, which have sustained minor damage caused by impacts of space debris and micrometeoroids. The spacewalk lasted for 7 hours and 25 minutes.

On 2 March 2024 BJT, the second scheduled spacewalk of Shenzhou 17 was carried out by Tang Hongbo and Jiang Xinlin through the airlock of the Wentian lab module. Tasks included maintenance of the solar panels of the Tianhe core module, evaluation and analysis of the performance status of the solar panel power generation and also inspection of the status of the space station modules. The spacewalk lasted for 7 hours and 52 minutes.

Crew

Position Crew member
Commander China Tang Hongbo, CMSA
Second spaceflight
Operator China Tang Shengjie, CMSA
First spaceflight
System Operator China Jiang Xinlin, CMSA
First spaceflight

The crew of Shenzhou 17 is the youngest to fly to the Tiangong space station, with Commander Tang Hongbo being 48 and taikonauts Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin being 34 and 35 respectively at the time of the flight. Tang Hongbo is also the first person to visit the station twice, having previously flown to Tiangong on Shenzhou 12. Tang Shengjie is also the youngest taikonaut to perform a spacewalk.

See also

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