Watch the Launch

Additional Media

Live: Special coverage of China's Shenzhou-13 manned space mission

China is ready to launch its manned spacecraft #Shenzhou13 at 12:23 a.m. Beijing Time on October 16 (4:23 p.m. GMT, October 15) from Jiuquan Satellite Launch...

出征太空!神舟十三号载人飞船发射现场

神舟十三号载人飞行任务航天员乘组出征仪式,将于10月15日20时30分在酒泉卫星发射中心问天阁广场举行。翟志刚、王亚平、叶光富3名航天员将执行此次飞行任务。随后,神舟十三号载人飞船将于10月16日0时23分发射。感受神舟十三号发射的震撼现场,为中国航天加油!

Shenzhou 13

Circle Image

Overview

Destination: Low Earth Orbit
Mission: Human Exploration

Low Earth Orbit Launch Area 4 (SLS-1 / 921) Jiuquan, People's Republic of China

Second crewed flight to the Chinese Tiangong space station carrying Zhai Zhigang, commander, Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu, operators, on their second, second and first spaceflight respectively. Their mission duration onboard the TSS is 6 months, the longest so far in Chinese spaceflight.

Updates

Nosu • Oct. 15, 2021, 4:56 p.m.

Successful launch of Shenzhou 13 towards the Tiangong space station.


Cosmic_Penguin • Oct. 11, 2021, 4:01 p.m.

NOTAMs issued.


Cosmic_Penguin • Oct. 7, 2021, 2:48 a.m.

SZ-13 rolled out to launch pad; launch date pinned down by tour operators; launch time estimated from CSS orbit tracking.


Long March 2

Family: Long March 2
Configuration: F/G

The Long March 2F is a Chinese orbital carrier rocket, part of the Long March 2 rocket family. Designed to launch the crewed Shenzhou spacecraft, the Long March 2F is a human-rated two-stage version of the Long March 2E rocket, which in turn was based on the Long March 2C launch vehicle. It is launched from complex SLS at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.

Specifications
  • Stages
    2
  • Length
    62.0 m
  • Diameter
    3.35 m
  • Fairing Diameter
  • Launch Mass
    464 T
  • Thrust
Family
  • Name
    Long March 2
  • Family
    Long March 2
  • Variant
    F/G
  • Alias
  • Full Name
    Long March 2F/G
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
  • Low Earth Orbit
    8399 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
  • Direct Geostationary
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity

Shenzhou 13


Active Human Rated Crew On-board: 3 Crew Capacity: 3
Destination: Tiangong space station
Serial Number: 13

Second crewed mission to the Chinese Space Station.

Shenzhou Details

Crew


Zhai Zhigang

Commander - Chinese - ( CNSA )

Status: Active

Date of Birth: Oct. 10, 1966
Age: 56

Wang Yaping

Operator - Chinese - ( CNSA )

Status: Active

Date of Birth: Jan. 27, 1980
Age: 43

Ye Guangfu

Operator - Chinese - ( CNSA )

Status: Active

Date of Birth: Sept. 1, 1980
Age: 42

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation

Circle Image
Chairman & President: Lei Fanpei Founded: 1999 Successes: 411 Failures: 13 Pending: 6

Agency Type: Government

The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) is the main contractor for the Chinese space program. It is state-owned and has a number of subordinate entities which design, develop and manufacture a range of spacecraft, launch vehicles, strategic and tactical missile systems, and ground equipment. It was officially established in July 1999 as part of a Chinese government reform drive, having previously been one part of the former China Aerospace Corporation. Various incarnations of the program date back to 1956.

INFO WIKI

Related News

SpaceNews

Shenzhou-13 astronauts return to Earth after 182-day mission

Three astronauts safely returned to Earth April 15 after spending a national record 182 days in orbit, completing China’s second crewed space station mission.

Spaceflight Now

Chinese astronauts undock from space station, head for landing

Three Chinese astronauts packed up, boarded their return capsule, and undocked from China’s space station Friday in preparation for a return to Earth after six months in orbit.

NASA Spaceflight

Shenzhou-13 mission ends with safe return of Chinese taikonaut trio

The Chinese Shenzhou-13 spacecraft and its crew of three taikonauts ended their six-month mission with a return to Earth on Saturday, 16 April after completing the first long-duration stay aboard the Chinese Space Station.

Spaceflight Now

Chinese astronauts return to Earth after six-month mission on space station

Three Chinese astronauts flew back to Earth late Friday to wrap up a 182-day mission on China’s space station, the longest crew mission in the history of the country’s space program. The landing sets the stage the launch of a new crew and …

NASA Spaceflight

Shenzhou-13 crew conducts second spacewalk of mission

The Shenzhou-13 crew has conducted the second EVA of its mission, with taikonauts Zhai Zhigang and Ye Guangfu exiting the Tianhe core module to conduct a six-hour spacewalk. Meanwhile, Wang Yaping stayed inside the station to assist, over …

Jiuquan, People's Republic of China

Launch Area 4 (SLS-1 / 921)


Kuaizhou
Success
1 day, 9 hours ago
Longjiang 3
Unknown Pad - Jiuquan, People's Republic of China

Low Earth Orbit prototype communication satellite by Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), to test a new satellite platform in the shape of a plate f…


Kinetica 1
Success
3 days, 7 hours ago
Flight 2
Unknown Pad - Jiuquan, People's Republic of China

Will carry 26 different satellites on a ride-share launch mission, including Earth observation satellites, details TBD.


Falcon 9
Success
4 days, 20 hours ago
Dragon CRS-2 SpX-28
Launch Complex 39A - Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

28th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station operated by SpaceX. The flight will be conducted under the second Commer…


Falcon 9
Success
5 days, 23 hours ago
Starlink Group 6-4
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral, FL, USA

A batch of 22 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 3 days ago
Starlink Group 2-10
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Chollima 1
Failure
1 week, 3 days ago
Malligyong-1
Malligyong-1 Pad - Sohae Satellite Launching Station, Cholsan County, North Pyongan Province, Democratic People's Republic of Korea

Malligyong-1 (meaning "Telescope-1") is a North Korean satellite officially declared to be for military reconnaissance purposes. It failed to reach o…


Long March 2
Success
1 week, 4 days ago
Shenzhou 16
Launch Area 4 (SLS-1 / 921) - Jiuquan, People's Republic of China

Fifth crewed flight to the Chinese space station.


GSLV Mk II
Success
1 week, 5 days ago
IRNSS-1J (NVS-01)
Satish Dhawan Space Centre Second Launch Pad - Satish Dhawan Space Centre, India

This is a replacement satellite for the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System. The constellation will provide India with an alternative to GPS …


Falcon 9
Success
2 weeks ago
BADR-8
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral, FL, USA

Geostationary communications satellite built by Airbus Defense and Space and based on the Eurostar Neo platform for Arabsat.


Soyuz 2.1a/Fregat-M
Success
2 weeks ago
Kondor-FKA No.1
Cosmodrome Site 1S - Vostochny Cosmodrome, Siberia, Russian Federation

The Kondor-FKA is a small civilian radar Earth observation satellite designed by NPO Mashinostroyeniya as a civilian counterpart to the Kondor-E sate…