Tiangong, space stations, China

[Administrator]

Shenzhou-22 launch

Nov 25, 2025

The Shenzhou-22 spacecraft was launched without a crew by the Long March-2F Y22 (长征二号F遥二十二) launch vehicle from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, China, on 25 November 2025, at 04:11 UTC (12:11 China Standard Time). The Shenzhou-22 (神舟二十二) spacecraft will transport back to Earth the Shenzhou-21 (神舟二十一) crew: Zhang Lu (张陆, commander), Wu Fei (武飞) and Zhang Hong Zhang (张洪章), at the end of their mission on the China Space Station (中国空间站).

 

[Administrator]

Shenzhou-22 docking

Nov 25, 2025

The Shenzhou-22 spacecraft, without a crew, autonomously docked to the forward port of the Tianhe Core Module (天和核心舱) on 25 November 2025, at 07:50 UTC (15:50 China Standard Time). The Shenzhou-22 (神舟二十二) spacecraft will transport back to Earth the Shenzhou-21 (神舟二十一) crew: Zhang Lu (张陆, commander), Wu Fei (武飞) and Zhang Hong Zhang (张洪章), at the end of their mission on the China Space Station (中国空间站).

 

[Administrator]

Shenzhou-21 astronauts complete first spacewalk

Dec 9, 2025

According to the China National Space Administration (CNSA), the first extravehicular activity (EVA) of the Shenzhou-21 (神舟二十一) mission was completed on 9 December 2025, at 10:45 UTC (18:45 China Standard Time). During the ~8 hours spacewalk, astronauts Zhang Lu (张陆, commander) and Wu Fei (武飞) installed various devices and inspected the external equipment, including the viewport window of the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft. Astronaut Zhang Hong Zhang (张洪章) assisted them from inside the Tianhe Core Module (天和核心舱) by operating the robotic arm of the China Space Station (中国空间站).

 

[Administrator]

Shenzhou-20 capsule has landed

Jan 19, 2026

The Shenzhou-20 (神舟二十) spacecraft has successfully landed without a crew at the Dongfeng landing site, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on 19 January 2026, at 01:34 UTC (09:34 China Standard Time). According to CNSA, “on-site inspections confirmed that the return capsule’s overall appearance was normal and that items inside were in good condition”. While docked to the China Space Station, tiny cracks have been found in the Shenzhou-20 return capsule’s viewport window, most probably caused by external impact from space debris. The spacecraft was considered not to meet the requirements for the astronauts' safe return. The Shenzhou-20 crew returned to Earth using the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft.