神舟二十二号
Shenzhou-22 docked with the station in just 3.5 hours.
Shenzhou-22 launched uncrewed on November 25.
The accelerated launch of Shenzhou-22 ensures Shenzhou-21 astronauts Zhang Lu, Wu Fei, and Zhang Hongzhang have a safe return option.
The Long March-2F rocket carrying Shenzhou-22 lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China.
Shenzhou-22 was launched early after a suspected space debris strike made the Shenzhou-20 return capsule unsafe for re-entry.
Shenzhou-22 was originally slated for a crewed launch in 2026.
The Shenzhou-22 spacecraft was launched and docked in an emergency response operation, originally scheduled for April 2026.
China launched the Shenzhou 22 spacecraft on November 25 at 12:11 PM local time.
The Shenzhou 22 spacecraft docked with the Tiangong space station at 3:50 PM local time.
Shenzhou 22 was launched by a Long March 2F/G rocket and carried various supplies, including food, medicine, and equipment to repair Shenzhou 20's cracked window.
The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) stated that Shenzhou 22 demonstrated success in efficient emergency response within the international aerospace sector.
Shenzhou-22's launch was unusual as it was uncrewed, intended to restore the normal operations of the Tiangong station.
The Shenzhou-22 spacecraft is carrying fresh commodities weighing about 600 kilograms instead of a crew.
Shenzhou-22 spacecraft carries spare parts for the space station.
Zheng Wei, the technical director of the program at the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA), highlighted that Shenzhou-22 is essentially a crewed ship launched in uncrewed mode.
Shenzhou-22 is expected to dock at the Tianhe module's forward-facing port in four and a half hours after liftoff.
The incident affected the usual vehicle rotation and necessitated advancing the launch of Shenzhou-22 to restore the normal support sequence for Tiangong.
Shenzhou-22 docked with the forward port at Tiangong space station at 0750 UTC.
The launch of the unmanned Shenzhou-22 ship has started.
The decision to launch Shenzhou-22 was made after the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft was damaged by debris.