![]() Liftoff of Shenzhou 19. | |
Mission type | Tiangong space station crew transport |
---|---|
Operator | China Manned Space Agency |
COSPAR ID | 2024-194A![]() |
SATCATno. | 61683![]() |
Mission duration | 182 days, 8 hours and 42 minutes |
Spacecraft properties | |
Spacecraft type | Shenzhou |
Manufacturer | China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation |
Crew | |
Crew size | 3 |
Members | Cai Xuzhe Song Lingdong Wang Haoze |
EVAs | 2 |
EVA duration | 17 hours, 23 minutes |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 29 October 2024, 20:27 UTC |
Rocket | Long March 2F |
Launch site | Jiuquan,LA-4/SLS |
Contractor | China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology |
End of mission | |
Landing date | 30 April 2025, 05:09 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 forward |
Docking date | 30 October 2024, 03:00 UTC |
Undocking date | 29 April 2025, 20:00 UTC |
Time docked | 181 days and 17 hours |
![]() Mission patch ![]() From left:Haoze,Xuzhe andLingdong |
Shenzhou 19 (Chinese:神舟十九号;pinyin:Shénzhōu Shíjiǔ-hào;lit. 'Divine Boat Number 19') was a Chinese spaceflight to theTiangong space station that was launched on 29 October 2024[1] and returned to Earth on 30 April 2025.[2] It carried three crew members on board aShenzhou spacecraft. The mission was the 14th crewed Chinese spaceflight and the 19th flight overall of theShenzhou program.
Shenzhou 19 launched on 29 October 2024, prior to the end of the previous mission,Shenzhou 18. It was the eighth flight to theTiangong space station and lasted approximately 6 months, departing after the arrival of theShenzhou 20 crew on 24 April 2025.
The mission launched fromJiuquan Satellite Launch Center on board aLong March 2F rocket. The Shenzhou spacecraft docked with the forward docking port on theTianhe core module of the station, where the crew entered and taken over operations from the departing crew of Shenzhou 18, who returned to Earth on 4 November. The crew are carrying out experiments to aid China's goal of landing a crewed mission on the moon by 2030.[3]
The mission was scheduled to return to Earth on April 29, 2025[4], but was delayed by one day due to high winds at the planned landing site.[5] The crew landed safely on the following day, April 30, at a new site on the eastern side of the Dongfeng landing area inInner Mongolia.[5]
Position | Crew member | |
---|---|---|
Commander | ![]() Second spaceflight | |
Operator | ![]() First spaceflight | |
Flight Engineer | ![]() First spaceflight |
Cai, 48, is a veteran astronaut who flew previously on theShenzhou 14 mission in 2022. Song and Wang, both 34 years old and youngest Chinese astronauts,[3] embarked their first spaceflight, with Wang the third female taikonaut, and first female flight engineer from China, to space.[6]
On 17 December 2024, during the crew's first spacewalk since arriving at the space station,Cai Xuzhe set a new record withSong Lingdong for thelongest spacewalk, of 9 hours and 6 minutes, completing tasks such as the installation of space debris protection devices, inspection, and maintenance of external equipment and facilities.[7] Song also became the youngest Chinese astronaut, born after the 1990s, to have embarked on an EVA.
On 20 January 2025, the crew conducted their second spacewalk, with commander Cai Xuzhe and Song Lingdong as the participants, lasting 8 hours and 17 minutes. They completed the installation of more space debris shield devices and checking the condition of extravehicular equipment.[8]