‘Finally, you are here!’: Chinese astronauts in historic encounter aboard Tiangong space station

In a first for China’s space programme, crews from two different missions meet in orbit as Shenzhou 15 team prepares to take over
The new arrivals will set the stage for future science experiments by installing research equipment

Science

Ling Xinin Beijing

Published: 6:00pm, 30 Nov 2022

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A historic meeting has taken place on board China’s Tiangong space station, where three newly arrived astronauts were welcomed by colleagues who have been living there since June.

“Finally, you are here!” said Chen Dong, commander of the Shenzhou 14 mission as he opened the front door of the node cabin and hugged Shenzhou 15 commander Fei Junlong. The greeting was live-streamed by state broadcaster CCTV on Wednesday morning.

Fei and fellow crew members Deng Qingming and Zhang Lu appeared excited and were seemingly still trying to adapt to microgravity. They chatted briefly with Chen and his crew mates, Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe. The astronauts then posed together for a group photo, with everyone grinning and giving a thumbs up.

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China’s Shenzhou 15 astronauts arrive at Tiangong Space Station on historic mission

It was the first time crews from two different Chinese missions have met in space. The meeting happened at 7.33am Beijing time, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). The Shenzhou 15 spacecraft took off from the Gobi desert at 11.08pm on Tuesday and docked with Tiangong at 5.42am on Wednesday.

China now has six astronauts in space – more than any other country. There are three Russians, three Americans and one Japanese astronaut living on the International Space Station.

The arrival of Shenzhou 15 brought Tiangong to its largest configuration yet. The nearly 100-tonne structure also includes three modules – Tianhe, Wentian, and Mengtian – and two other spaceships, Shenzhou 14 and Tianzhou 5.

China prepares for mission to space station before landmark crew handover

The Chinese astronauts will stay together for about five days, during which the Shenzhou 14 trio will help the new arrivals familiarise themselves with the space station before heading back to Earth early next month, according to the CMSA.

Tiangong’s life support systems, which are designed to accommodate a maximum of six people, will be put to the test while the two teams are both on board.

While the Shenzhou 14 crew’s job was to oversee Tiangong’s construction, Fei, Deng and Zhang have been tasked with preparing for future experiments by installing research infrastructure inside and outside the station, CMSA said.

The manned spaceship Shenzhou 15 docks with the space station’s Tianhe module on Wednesday. Photo: Xinhua

The new crew members share a hobby – Chinese calligraphy – and like to discuss how to improve their skills in their spare time, Fei told a press conference on Monday.

This is Fei’s second trip to space. He commanded Shenzhou 6, China’s second manned mission, about 17 years ago.

It is the maiden flight for Deng and Zhang, who waited a long time to travel to space after being selected as astronauts in 1998 and 2010 respectively.

Chinese astronaut finally fulfils space dream after waiting almost 25 years

China plans to send at least two crewed missions to Tiangong every year for the next decade, and it is intensively training new astronauts.

A group of 18 people, including seven pilots, seven flight engineers and four payload experts, have completed the basic training, said CMSA spokesperson Ji Qiming on Monday.

The first round of selection is under way for another cohort of about 12-14 astronauts, including payload experts from Hong Kong and Macau, Ji said.

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