BEIING: The unmanned Shenzhou-22 spacecraft launched atop a Long March-2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 12:11 p.m. local time (04:11 GMT), according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). “The spacecraft successfully separated from the rocket and reached its designated orbit. The launch was entirely successful,” CMSA announced via its official WeChat account.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV shared video footage of the rocket igniting and ascending into space, with Earth visible in the background as the vessel entered orbit. Shenzhou-22 then traveled to China’s crewed Tiangong space station, docking at 3:50 p.m. (07:50 GMT), CCTV reported.
Spare Parts and Supplies
The Shenzhou-20 mission was originally scheduled to bring back three Chinese astronauts on November 5, but it was deemed unfit after the return capsule’s window was cracked likely by space debris, according to CMSA.This incident prompted China’s space authorities on November 14 to deploy the remaining operational spacecraft, Shenzhou-21, which had arrived at Tiangong in late October with a new crew of three astronauts.
With Shenzhou-21 leaving six months earlier than planned, the station was without a ready crewed spacecraft for 11 days—posing a safety risk that the arrival of Shenzhou-22 has now mitigated.“This emergency launch marks a first for China, but I hope it will be the last in humanity’s journey through space,” said CMSA official He Yuanjun in a CCTV interview.
Shenzhou-22 carried essential supplies such as medical kits, spare parts for Tiangong, and equipment to repair the damage on Shenzhou-20’s window, which remains docked at the station.Other provisions included fresh fruits, vegetables, chicken wings, steak, and cake, which astronauts can prepare using a “space oven” installed aboard Tiangong.The spacecraft is expected to stay docked until around April 2026, when it will return the Shenzhou-21 crew to Earth, CMSA stated.
Rapid Response
Since 2021, China’s Shenzhou missions have typically sent crews of three for six-month missions to Tiangong. Safety protocols have always mandated a standby backup rocket and spacecraft.With Shenzhou-22 and its carrier already at Jiuquan, China completed the emergency launch in just 16 days, significantly faster than the usual 45-day timeline, according to He Yuanjun.
By comparison, last year, two NASA astronauts scheduled for a week-long mission on the International Space Station were stranded for nine months due to a propulsion fault in their Boeing Starliner spacecraft. After multiple delays, they eventually returned to Earth in March aboard a SpaceX capsule. The U.S. and China are actively exchanging knowledge and monitoring each other’s space operations as they race to land astronauts on the Moon by 2030 or earlier.
