Shenzhou 18 Manned Spacecraft Was Successfully Launched

According to the China Manned Space Engineering Office, at 20:59 on April 25, 2024 Beijing time, the Long March-2F Y18 carrier rocket carrying the Shenzhou-18 manned spacecraft was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. About 10 minutes later, the Shenzhou-18 manned spacecraft successfully separated from the rocket and entered its planned orbit. Currently, the astronauts are in good condition and the launch was a complete success.

After the spacecraft enters orbit, it will autonomously and rapidly rendezvous and dock with the space station in accordance with the predetermined procedures. The crew of Shenzhou-18 spacecraft will conduct an on-orbit crew exchange with the crew of Shenzhou-17 spacecraft.

This mission is the third manned flight mission of China’s manned spaceflight project entering the application and development phase of space station. It is also the 32nd launch mission since the project was approved for implementation, as well as the 518th flight of Long March series carrier rockets.

According to the China Manned Space Engineering Office, after the Shenzhou-18 manned spacecraft entered orbit, it successfully docked with the Tianhe core module of the space station at 3:32 on April 26, 2024 Beijing time. The entire autonomous rendezvous and docking process took about 6.5 hours.

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