| Shenzhou 10 （神舟十号） | |||||
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 Diagram of Shenzhou-10 (right) docked with Tiangong-1 (left) |
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| Mission statistics | |||||
| Mission name | Shenzhou 10 （神舟十号） | ||||
| Launch pad | Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center | ||||
| Launch date | June 2013 | ||||
| Mission duration | 15 days | ||||
| Related missions | |||||
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Shenzhou 10 is a planned manned spaceflight of China's Shenzhou program that is scheduled for launch in June 2013.[1] According to Niu Hongguang, the deputy commander-in-chief of the manned space programme, the backup launch windows will be in July or August 2013.[2] This conventional Shenzhou will carry a crew of three astronauts, including one female astronaut. During the mission, the Shenzhou spacecraft will dock with the Tiangong 1 docking target.
Shenzhou 10 will be the final mission to Tiangong 1.[3] Prior to the reboost of Tiangong 1 on 30 August 2012, it was projected that a launch window would open between late November and December 2012, when Tiangong-1's orbit had decayed to the level of a Shenzhou's standard orbit. With the reboost, it was expected that the orbital decay would bring Tiangong-1 within reach again in late January, so the Shenzhou 10 mission was anticipated for late January or February 2013.[4] At the 2012 Communist Party of China Leadership Congress, a space official stated that Shenzhou 10 was planned for the period between June and August 2013.[5]
From 2012 November onwards, a slow feed of information ensued, including a desire for the crew to have a female member and that the actual launch date would be at the beginning of the June–August period. Knowledge of the conditions that China sets for launch windows for its piloted spacecraft allowed the likely launch date to be calculated as somewhere in the period between June 7 and June 13.[6]
Xinhua published an item from the Beijing Times that summed up the aims of the mission, and included the information that Wang Yaping was the only female trainee in the group of astronaut candidates.[7]
References [edit]
- ^ (Chinese) news.China.COM.cn, "专访十八大代表牛红光：神十将于明年6月发射", 新闻中心-中国网, 2012-11-10
- ^ "China to launch next manned spaceship in 2013". BBC News. 10 November 2012.
- ^ "China prepares to launch first space lab module this week". Space Daily. 2011-09-27. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
- ^ SpaceDaily, "Tiangong Orbit Change Signals Likely Date for Shenzhou 10", Robert Christy, 4 September 2012
- ^ ScienceDaily, "China to launch new manned spaceship in 2013: Xinhua", Reuters, 10 November 2012 (accessed 2012-11-11)
- ^ zarya.info, "Shenzhou 10 – Heads Up!", Robert Christy, 11 March 2013
- ^ Xinhua (in Chinese), "Shenzhou 10 Arrived at Jiuquan for Launch June-August, Yaping is the Only Female Astronaut Candidate", Beijing Times, 1 April 2013
External links [edit]
- Shenzhou 10 Launch Campaign
- Build-up to the Shenzhou 10 mission
- Shenzhou Launch Windows
- "China Might Be Planning Early Space Station Attempt". SpaceDaily.com. February 19, 2006.
- Shenzhou Manned Spacecraft Programme
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