The Tiangong space station. (Image Credit: CNSA).
The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) has released images captured by the Shenzhou 16 spacecraft during a flyby, before it returned to the Earth after a crew rotation. A crew rotation takes place roughly once every six months, with three new personnel being ferried up to the orbital platform, with the previous crew handing over operations of the space station, before returning to the Earth. This is the first time that the entire Tiangong space station has been captured from Earth orbit with the planet in the backdrop. The crew on board the space station also captured the departing Shenzhou 16 spacecraft using HD cameras.
The Shenzhou 16 spacecraft as seen from the Tiangong space station. (Image Credit: CNSA).
The Shenzhou 17 spacecraft lifted off on top of a Long March 2-F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the fringes of the Gobi Desert in northwestern China on October 26, 2023. On board was the youngest crew to ever operate the orbital platform. Tiangong, which means ‘Heavenly Palace’, is the only space station that is currently being operated by a single country. The Shenzhou 16 crew safely returned to the Earth on October 31, 2023, after spending about five months in space. The Shenzhou 16 mission was launched on May 21, 2023.
China is growing veggies on its space station. (Image Credit: CNSA).
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The Shenzhou 17 astronauts used a fast automated rendezvous and docking manoeuvre to board the space station. The taikonauts, which is how China refers to its spacefarers, conduct a range of microgravity experiments on board the orbital platform, in the fields of basic physics, material sciences, biology, medicine and space technologies. The crew is expected to conduct a number of extravehicular activities (EVAs) over the course of the five month long mission. These spacewalks include a series of planned tasks for maintaining, repairing and upgrading the orbital platform.
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Shambhu Kumar is a science communicator, making complex scientific topics accessible to all. His articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
