The Shenzhou 12 manned mission press conference was held today (16th) at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. Ji Qiming introduced at the press conference that according to the space station construction mission plan, 11 missions will be implemented this year and next, including 3 Sub-space station module launches, 4 cargo spacecraft and 4 manned spacecraft launches. In 2022, the orbit construction of the space station will be completed and the national space laboratory will be built. After that, the space station will enter the application and development stage.
These 11 missions are closely related and interlocking.
The recently successfully launched Tianhe core module and the Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft have formed a combination and are operating in orbit.
After the Shenzhou 12 manned spacecraft is launched into orbit, it will rendezvous and dock with the core module assembly.
In general, the Shenzhou 12 mission has the following four main features: First, it will further verify the functional performance of the manned space-to-earth transportation system.
The improved Long March 2F carrier rocket has improved reliability and safety; the Shenzhou 12 manned spacecraft has added autonomous rapid rendezvous and docking, radial rendezvous and docking and 180-day on-orbit docking capabilities.
The return technology has been improved, the accuracy of the landing point has been further improved, and the emergency rescue mission mode of the manned spacecraft will be activated for the first time.
The second is to fully verify the astronauts' long-term stay guarantee technology.
Through the work and life of the Shenzhou 12 astronaut crew on orbit for 3 months, the assessment and verification of various support technologies for astronauts' long-term space flight, such as regenerative life support, space station material supply, and astronaut health management.
The third is to verify the ability of astronauts and robotic arms to complete out-of-vehicle activities and out-of-vehicle operations together in orbit.
With the support of the robotic arm, the astronauts will carry out for the first time a long-term out-of-vehicle activity, and perform operations such as installation, repair and maintenance of equipment outside the vehicle.
Fourth, the search and recovery capabilities of the Dongfeng Landing Site will be tested for the first time.
The landing site was adjusted from Siziwang Banner in Inner Mongolia to the Dongfeng landing site, and for the first time, the landing site system was turned on for the first time in the normalized emergency standby search and rescue mode.
The breakthroughs in these technologies and the verification of capabilities will lay a solid foundation for subsequent space station construction and application development, and accumulate valuable experience.
As the first manned flight of my country’s space station construction, the Shenzhou 12 mission is very critical. The mission implementation period coincides with the party’s centenary birthday. The entire project focuses on the centuries-old history of the Chinese Communist Party, especially under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party. In the glorious course of construction and development, we are absorbing the strength of experience and boosting our confidence and fighting spirit, and we are intensively engaged in various preparations for the task with a high mental state.
(CCTV reporter Zhang Wei, Wang Gang, Deng Meng)