Astronauts (left to right) Ye Guangfu (41), Wang Yaping (42) and Zhai Zhigang (55) at the launch of the Shenzhou-13 mission, October 15, 2021 in northwest China. STR / AFP
This is China’s longest stay in space: The three astronauts of the Shenzhou-13 mission returned to Earth on Saturday, April 16, after six months in the Chinese space station. A new successful step for Beijing in its ambitious space program that aims to catch up with the United States, Europe and Russia.
After deploying its red and white parachute, the return capsule, in which the crew – consisting of one woman and two men – had taken their seats, landed in the interior of the Mongolian desert (northern China) just before 4 a.m. French time.
“The Shenzhou-13 return capsule landed successfully,” state television (CCTV) said. Live footage showed the capsule landing in a cloud of dust. Ground crews who had stayed away from the landing pad rushed in helicopters to reach the capsule. They applauded the astronauts, who took turns declaring that they felt “good.”
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The Heavenly Palace will be built by the end of 2022
With 183 days in space, the crew broke the previous national record set in 2021 during the previous manned Shenzhou-12 mission, which lasted 92 days. The crew consisted of three army pilots: Commander Zhai Zhigang (55), his colleague Wang Yaping (42) and the youngest Ye Guangfu (41), whose first space flight it was.
Six-month stays are common, whether for Mir [l’ancienne station russo-soviétique] or for the International Space Station [ISS] ‘ noted Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in the United States. ” The goal [avec Shenzhou-13] was not to set a record, but to develop the skills needed to permanently occupy the channel,” he told Agence France-Presse (AFP) as China’s ultimate goal.
Dubbed “Tiangong” (“Heavenly Palace”), but also known by its English acronym CSS (for “Chinese Space Station” in French), it is expected to be completed by the end of 2022. Her life must be similar to mine, about fifteen years.
Next manned mission in June
Chinese Television (CCTV) images showing the return capsule just before landing in Inner Mongolia on April 16, 2022. – / AFP
An analysis of the health of Shenzhou-13 astronauts will allow China to learn more about the consequences of prolonged zero-gravity conditions on organisms. In six months, the crew also continued construction of the station, hosted two Internet courses for Chinese schoolchildren, conducted experiments, and honed their mastery of long-term stays.
“For example, they have honed their maintenance skills through spacewalking and manipulation of the station’s robotic arm,” explained AFP Chen Lan, an analyst at GoTaikonauts.com website, which specializes in China’s space program. Shenzhou-13 was “not a major breakthrough,” but “the completion of SSC later this year will be a very significant event,” he said.
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Next phases of construction: the dispatch of a cargo ship in May, then another manned mission, Shenzhou-14, to be launched in June. The final two space station modules are scheduled to ship from July. You will fly toward space from the Wenchang Launch Center on the tropical island of Hainan (south). Chinese President Xi Jinping said Thursday he wants to turn it into a “world-class” website. From Shenzhou-14, the CSS will be permanently manned.
Already several space successes
Once poor, China is now investing billions of euros in its space program. The Asian giant sent its first astronaut into space in 2003. Since then, he has accomplished some notable feats, especially in recent years.
China landed a device on the far side of the moon in early 2019 (a world first). In 2020, it brought back samples from the moon and completed Beidou, its satellite navigation system (competitor to American GPS). In 2021, she landed a small robot on Mars and plans to send men to the moon by 2030.
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China’s ambition to build its own station has been fueled by the American refusal to host Chinese on the ISS – a program controlled by NASA. This did not prevent the crew of Shenzhou-13 from discussing with 150 American youth, parents and teachers gathered at the initiative of the Chinese embassy in Washington last week. During this meeting, a video message was broadcast by the head of the American company SpaceX, Elon Musk, who called for “collaboration of mankind” for the conquest of space.