Officially, China is currently on its longest ever space mission.
China's Shenzhou 13 mission's astronauts entered Tianhe module in Tianhe, China's core space station. This was to launch a six-month expedition into the orbital laboratory. They arrived at the station at 9 :58 am Saturday morning Beijing Time (8:00 p.m. Friday EDT; 0058 GMT), eight hours after they launched into orbit from the Jiuquan Satellite Launching Center, Gobi Desert. The Shenzhou 13 spacecraft completed an autonomous docking with them upon their arrival.
Zhai Zhigang is China's first spacewalker. Wang Yaping is the first female astronaut and Ye Guangfu the first spaceflyer. Their Shenzhou 13 spacecraft docked on the Tianhe Module at an Earth-facing port. At opposite ends of Tianhe station, two other cargo ships uncrewed are Tianzhou 2 & Tianzhou 3.
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Image 1 of 4 Shenzhou 13 Commander Zhai Zhigang opens hatch between China's Shenzhou 13 and the Tianhe Core Module of the Tiangong Space Station after a successful docking. After a successful docking, China's Shenzhou thirteen astronauts are seen floating inside the Tianhe Core Module of their Tiangong space station. (Image credit to CCTV) Image 3 from 4 This still is from China's CCTV network shows the view from the Shenzhou 13 spacecraft, as it approaches the Tianhe Core Module of the Tiangong Space Station on Oct. 16, 2021. (Image credit to CCTV) Image 4/4 This animation shows China’s Shenzhou 13 spacecraft (bottom), docked at Tianhe core module at Tiangong's Tiangong station. There are two Tianzhou cargo vessels docked at each end. (Image credit to CMSE
The crew of 13 Shenzhou astronauts enter Tianhe. They are seen floating in a white spacecraft as they settle into their long mission. The astronauts will be testing the station's systems during their flight, including a robotic arm.
According to state media reports, one of their tasks is to use a robot arm to move a Tianzhou cargo vessel between docking ports. This will allow them to practice in-space construction tasks before the arrival of new modules in 2022. The mission will involve between two and three spacewalks.
Tariq Malik can be reached at tmalik@space.com, or on Twitter @tariqjmalik. Follow us @Spacedotcom on Facebook and Instagram.
