BEIJING, Nov 25: China today launched an unmanned spacecraft to its space station ahead of schedule for a pickup rendezvous in about six months.
The Long March-2F carrier rocket lifted off at around 12 pm (0400 GMT) from the Jiuquan spaceport in the Gobi Desert in northwestern China with the crewless spacecraft Shenzhou (Divine Vessel) 22, according to the manned spaceflight authority in Beijing.
The spacecraft, carrying food and spare parts, is scheduled to dock with the Chinese space station Tiangong (Heavenly Palace), currently occupied by the three-member crew of the Shenzhou 21 mission – made up of Zhang Lu, Wu Fei, and Zhang Hongzhang.
The Shenzhou-21 crew had to hand over their own craft to their predecessors when they arrived at the space outpost at the end of last month, so that the latter could make their way back to Earth. This was due to a crack discovered on the Shenzhou-20 craft’s window, which made it unsafe for re-entry.
The Shenzhou‑20 crew was supposed to return to Earth on Nov 5, 2025, after being relieved by the Shenzhou‑21 mission. Shenzhou-21 itself was launched on October 31, 2025, docked with Tiangong on the same day, and undocked on Nov 14, completing a mission of approximately 13 days.
The Shenzhou‑20 crew ultimately returned aboard the Shenzhou‑21 spacecraft on Nov 14, 2025, landing safely in Inner Mongolia.
Chinese space experts believe the damage was caused by a collision with small pieces of space debris. This is the first incident of this kind in the history of Tiangong.
The launch of Shenzhou-22 was originally planned for April 2026. But it was brought forward to provide the Shenzhou 21 crew with a safe spacecraft for their return to Earth. The crew is set to remain in space for six months.
- BERNAMA-dpa