 Launch of Shenzhou 13 on aLong March 2F | |
| Mission type | Tiangong space station crew transport |
|---|---|
| Operator | China Manned Space Agency |
| COSPAR ID | 2021-092A |
| SATCATno. | 49326 |
| Mission duration | 182 days, 9 hours and 32 minutes |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | Shenzhou |
| Manufacturer | China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 3 |
| Members | Zhai Zhigang Wang Yaping Ye Guangfu |
| EVAs | 2 |
| EVA duration | 12 hours 36 minutes[1] |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 15 October 2021, 16:23:56UTC[2] |
| Rocket | Long March 2F |
| Launch site | Jiuquan,LA-4/SLS |
| Contractor | China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | 16 April 2022, 01:56:49 UTC |
| Landing site | Inner Mongolia,China |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Inclination | 41.5° |
| Docking withTiangong space station | |
| Docking port | Tianhe nadir |
| Docking date | 15 October 2021, 22:56 UTC |
| Undocking date | 15 April 2022, 16:44 UTC |
| Time docked | 181 days, 17 hours and 48 minutes |
 Shenzhou 13 mission patch  Ye Guangfu,Zhai Zhigang andWang Yaping | |
Shenzhou 13 (Chinese:神舟十三号;pinyin:Shénzhōu Shísān-hào;lit. 'Divine Boat Number 13') was a Chinese spaceflight to theTiangong space station, launched on 15 October 2021. It carried threePeople's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps (PLAAC)taikonauts on board aShenzhou spacecraft. The mission was the eighth crewed Chinese spaceflight and the thirteenth flight overall of theShenzhou program.
Shenzhou 13 was the second spaceflight to theTiangong space station (at the time consisting only of theTianhe core module), and the first with a planned duration of six months (180 days).[3] Following Shenzhou 13, six months would become the standard orbital duration for subsequent Shenzhou missions.[4]
For Shenzhou 13, theChina Academy of Space Technology developed a new method of radialdocking of the spacecraft to the bottom of Tiangong'sTianhe core module, differing from the front and rear docking method used previously byShenzhou 12 and theTianzhou cargo missions. This new method of docking would be crucial for both cargo logistics and crew operations, and would allow multiple Shenzhou spacecraft to dock to Tiangong at one time, making in-space crew changeovers possible for the first time.[5]
The crew of Shenzhou 13 was announced on 14 October 2021.[6]
The flight launched fromJiuquan Satellite Launch Center on 15 October 2021 at 16:23 UTC, following the launch of theTianzhou 3 cargo spacecraft.[7][8] Just over 6.5 hours after launch, the spacecraft docked with theTianhe core module's nadir docking port.[9] The crew entered the station on 16 October at 01:58 UTC.[10]
During the mission, theShenzhou 14 spacecraft remained on standby to serve as an emergency rescue vehicle.[11]
The Shenzhou 13 crew carried out twospacewalks, worked on payloads both inside and outside the station, and carried out other scientific work during the six-month mission.
On 7 November 2021, the first scheduled spacewalk of Shenzhou 13 was carried out by Zhai Zhigang and Wang Yaping, during which Wang Yaping became the first Chinese woman to perform a spacewalk.[12] The two taikonauts installed a dual-arm connector for the station'srobotic arm, and tested EVA equipment on the exterior ofTianhe. The spacewalk lasted for 6 hours and 25 minutes.[13]
On 26 December 2021, the second and final spacewalk of the mission was carried out by Zhai Zhigang and Ye Guangfu, with Wang Yaping assisting the pair from inside theTianhe core module. The taikonauts deployed panoramic camera C, installed a foot restraint platform, and tested various methods of moving objects outside the station. The spacewalk lasted for 6 hours and 11 minutes.[14]
On 9 December 2021 at 3:55 PMChina Standard Time (07:55 UTC), the crew of Shenzhou 13 conducted their first live "space lecture" broadcast. The "main classroom" was located in theChina Science and Technology Museum inBeijing, with "branch classrooms" inNanning,Wenchuan,Hong Kong, andMacau. During the lecture, part of which was led by Wang Yaping, the taikonauts explained what living in space was like, and performed scientific experiments on cell biology, the behavior ofeffervescent tablets inmicrogravity, and water surface tension. After the lesson, the taikonauts were given time to answer schoolchildren's questions from the classrooms.[15][16]
On 23 March 2022 at 3:40 PM China Standard Time (07:40 UTC), the crew of Shenzhou 13 conducted a second live "space lecture" broadcast. The "main classroom" was once again in the China Science and Technology Museum inBeijing, with "branch classrooms" inLhasa,Tibet; andÜrümqi,Xinjiang. The lecture followed a similar structure to the previous broadcast, with a science lesson followed by a question-and-answer session with the taikonauts.[17]
On 10 April 2022, at 3:00 AM China Standard Time (9 April, 19:00 UTC), a special question-and-answer session between the crew of Shenzhou 13 and American students was held at theChinese Embassy in the U.S. inWashington, D.C., hosted byChinese Ambassador to the U.S.Qin Gang. During the event, a pre-recorded message fromSpaceX CEOElon Musk was also played, expressing his wishes for further international cooperation in space in the future.[18]
Shenzhou 13 undocked from Tiangong on 15 April 2022 at 16:44 UTC, and landed nine hours later on 16 April at the Dongfeng landing site in theGobi Desert inInner Mongolia at 01:56 UTC.[19][2][20]
| Position | Crew member | |
|---|---|---|
| Commander |  Zhai Zhigang,PLAACSecond spaceflight | |
| Operator | Wang Yaping, PLAAC Second spaceflight | |
| System Operator | Ye Guangfu, PLAAC First spaceflight | |
Zhai Zhigang previously flew onShenzhou 7.
Wang Yaping, the first woman to visit the Tiangong space station and the first Chinese woman to fly to space twice, previously flew onShenzhou 10.[6]
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