shenzhou

Chinese crew returns to Earth after ambitious test flight

China's Shenzhou 9 spacecraft, carrying two men and the first Chinese woman to fly in space, returned to Earth on Friday after an ambitious flight to a prototype space station module, plunging back into the atmosphere and descending under a large parachute to a jarring touchdown in Inner Mongolia.

The re-entry was carried live on Chinese television, with commentary, shots of the crew in the cramped decent module and views of the spacecraft's fiery re-entry plume as it streaked across the sky on a steep northeasterly descent toward the landing zone.

The 12-day 15-hour mission ended with a … Read more

Chinese crew docks with prototype lab module

The Shenzhou 9 spacecraft executed a smooth automated docking with the Tiangong 1 research module early Monday, completing China's first manned orbital linkup in a milestone for the nation's steadily progressing space program.

Following launch Saturday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in north central China, commander Jing Heipeng, China's first space veteran, and his two rookie crewmates, Liu Wang and Liu Yang -- China's first female astronaut -- began the terminal phase of the two-day rendezvous around noon Monday Beijing time (12 a.m. EDT; GMT+8) at a distance of about 32 miles, according … Read more

China launches first woman, first manned docking mission

A Chinese Shenzhou spacecraft carrying a space veteran and two rookies, including China's first female "taikonaut," rocketed into orbit Saturday on a mission to dock with a prototype space station module, an incremental but critical step on the road to building a Mir-class space station later this decade.

Broadcast live on Chinese television, the Long March-2F rocket carrying the three-seat Shenzhou 9 spacecraft roared to life on time and quickly climbed away from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in north central China at 6:37 p.m. local time (GMT+8; 6:37 a.m. EDT), arcing … Read more

China launches unmanned capsule for key docking test

A Chinese Long March-2F rocket successfully boosted an unmanned Shenzhou capsule into orbit today for an automated rendezvous and docking with a prototype space station module, a key milestone in China's drive to build an operational station later this decade.

The towering Long March, equipped with four liquid-fueled strap-on boosters, ignited with a flash at 5:58 p.m. EDT (GMT-4) and quickly climbed away from its pad at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in north central China.

The launch was carried live by Chinese television and nine minutes after takeoff, a camera mounted on the spacecraft showed the … Read more