Shenzhou 16

Shenzhou 16

Launch of Shenzhou 16 on a Long March 2F
Mission type	Tiangong Space Station crew transport
Operator	China Manned Space Agency
COSPAR ID	2023-077A
SATCAT no.	56761
Mission duration	155 days (planned) 150 days, 15 hours and 49 minutes (in progress)
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	Shenzhou 16
Spacecraft type	Shenzhou
Manufacturer	China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation
Crew
Crew size	3
Members	Jing Haipeng Zhu Yangzhu Gui Haichao
EVAs	1
EVA duration	7 hours 55 minutes
Start of mission
Launch date	30 May 2023, 01:31 UTC
Rocket	Long March 2F
Launch site	Jiuquan, LA-4/SLS
Contractor	China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology
End of mission
Landing date	31 October 2023 (planned)
Landing site	Dongfeng landing site, Inner Mongolia, China
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric orbit
Regime	Low Earth orbit
Inclination	41.5°
Docking with Tiangong Space Station
Docking port	Tianhe nadir
Docking date	30 May 2023, 08:29 UTC
Undocking date	30 October 2023 (planned)
Time docked	150 days, 8 hours and 51 minutes (In Progress)
Gui Haichao, Jing Haipeng and Zhu Yangzhu China Manned Space Program

Shenzhou 16 (Chinese: 神舟十六号; pinyin: Shénzhōu Shíliù-hào; lit. 'Divine Boat Number 16') is a Chinese spaceflight to the Tiangong space station, launched from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on 30 May, 2023 at 9:31 AM CST (UTC +8) on board a Shenzhou spacecraft. It carries two People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps (PLAAC) taikonauts and a payload specialist from Beihang University. The mission is the eleventh crewed and sixteenth flight overall of the Shenzhou program.

Background

Shenzhou 16 will be the fifth long-duration spaceflight to the Tiangong space station, and will last about six months.

The spacecraft completed construction and testing in December 2022 and before launch was on standby for an emergency rescue mission of the Shenzhou 15 crew.

Mission

The flight launched from JSLC on May 30, 2023, 9:31 AM following the launch of Tianzhou 6 and near the end of the Shenzhou 15 mission. The spacecraft successfully docked with Tiangong under 7 hours after lift-off.

The two crews performed a handover in space prior to the departure of the Shenzhou 15 crew on June 3.

Spacewalk

On 20 July 2023, the first scheduled spacewalk of Shenzhou 16 was carried out by Jing Haipeng and Zhu Yangzhu through the airlock of the Wentian lab module, with Gui Haichao assisting the pair from inside the Tianhe core module. The crew completed a variety of tasks, including the installation and lifting of the support frame for a panoramic camera outside Tiangong's Tianhe core module and unlocking and lifting two panoramic cameras outside the Mengtian experiment module. The spacewalk lasted for 7 hours and 55 minutes.

Crew

Position	Crew member
Commander	Jing Haipeng, PLAAC CMSA Fourth spaceflight
Flight engineer	Zhu Yangzhu, PLAAC CMSA First spaceflight
Payload Specialist	Gui Haichao, CMSA First spaceflight

The Shenzhou 16 mission marks Commander Jing Haipeng's fourth trip to space, a new record for China. Payload specialist Gui Haichao, a professor at Beihang University, became the first Chinese civilian in space. Gui and Zhu are also the first members of Chinese Group 3 to fly to space.

See also

• Shenzhou (spacecraft)
• Tiangong space station
• Tianzhou (spacecraft)