Shenzhou 18
{{Short description|2024 Chinese crewed spaceflight to the Tiangong space station}}
{{use dmy dates|date = January 2025}}
{{infobox spaceflight
| name = Shenzhou 18
| image = 神舟十八号载人飞船发射1.png
| image_caption = Liftoff of Shenzhou 18.
| mission_type = Tiangong space station crew transport
| operator = China Manned Space Agency
| COSPAR_ID = 2024-078A
| SATCAT = 59591
| mission_duration = {{time interval|25 April 2024 12:59|3 November 2024 17:24|show=dhm}}
| spacecraft_type = Shenzhou
| manufacturer = China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation
| crew_EVAs = 2
| crew_EVA_duration = 14 hours 55 minutes
| crew_members = Ye Guangfu
Li Cong
Li Guangsu
| crew_size = 3
| crew_photo = 神舟十八号航天员乘组 Shenzhou 18 crew 20240425.jpg
| crew_photo_caption = Li Guangsu, Li Cong and Ye Guangfu
| launch_date = 25 April 2024, 12:59:00{{nbsp}}UTC (20:59{{nbsp}}CST)https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1797311647459199760
| launch_rocket = Long March 2F
| launch_site = Jiuquan, LA-4/SLS-1
| launch_contractor = China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology
| landing_date = 3 November 2024, 17:24 UTC
| landing_site = Inner Mongolia, China
| orbit_reference = Geocentric orbit
| orbit_regime = Low Earth orbit
| orbit_inclination = 41.5°
{{Infobox spaceflight/Dock
| docking_target = Tiangong space station
|docking_port = Tianhe nadir
| docking_date = 25 April 2024, 19:32{{nbsp}}UTC
| undocking_date = 3 November 2024, 08:12{{nbsp}}UTC
| time_docked = {{time interval|25 April 2024 19:32|3 November 2024 08:12|show=dhm}}
}}
| insignia = Shenzhou 18 mission patch.png
| insignia_caption = Mission patch
| programme = China Manned Space Program
| previous_mission = Shenzhou 17
| next_mission = Shenzhou 19
}}
Shenzhou 18 ({{zh|s=神舟十八号|p=Shénzhōu Shíbā-hào|l=Divine Boat Number 18}}) was a Chinese spaceflight to the Tiangong space station, launched on 25 April 2024. It carried three People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps (PLAAC) taikonauts on board a Shenzhou spacecraft. The mission was the thirteenth crewed Chinese spaceflight and the eighteenth flight overall of the Shenzhou program.{{Cite web |author1=Jones |first=Andrew |date=2023-11-22 |title=China's next cargo spacecraft arrives at launch site ahead of early 2024 liftoff |url=https://www.space.com/china-tianzhou-7-cargo-spacecraft-arrives-launch-site |access-date=2024-01-06 |website=Space.com |language=en}}
The three crew members in this mission contributed to breaking the record for the most people (19) simultaneously in orbit, set after the Soyuz MS-26 mission launched on 11 September with its three crew members, along with the four crew members of the private Polaris Dawn mission launched on 10 September, and the nine crew members on the International Space Station.
Background
Shenzhou 18 is the seventh flight to the Tiangong space station, and is expected to last approximately 6 months. It will depart following the arrival of the Shenzhou 19 crew.
The crew of Shenzhou 18 was announced on April 24, 2024.{{cite web | title=China unveils Shenzhou-18 crew for space station mission | url=https://english.news.cn/20240424/5fe6acad010446d0a8f0a4e0340003a1/c.html | publisher=Xinhua | access-date=24 April 2024 | date=24 April 2024}}
Mission
The mission launched from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on board a Long March 2F rocket on 25 April 2024 at 12:59:00{{nbsp}}UTC (20:59{{nbsp}}China Standard Time), near the end of the Shenzhou 17 mission. Approximately 6.5 hours after launch, the spacecraft docked at the nadir port of the station's Tianhe core module.{{cite web |date=25 April 2024 |title=神舟十八号｜神舟十八号载人飞船与空间站组合体完成自主快速交会对接 |trans-title=Shenzhou 18 {{!}} Shenzhou 18 manned spacecraft and space station complex complete autonomous rapid rendezvous and docking |url=http://www.news.cn/20240426/3cbceaf73e9945228f06f99d96ae0fda/c.html |access-date=25 April 2024 |publisher=Xinhua |language=zh}}
= Spacewalks =
On 28 May 2024, Ye Guangfu and Li Guangsu carried out China's longest spacewalk to date, exiting the airlock of the Wentian lab module and spending approximately 8.5 hours installing space debris protection shields and inspecting the exterior of the station.{{Cite news |last=Wall |first=Mike |date=28 May 2024 |title=Chinese astronauts perform record-breaking spacewalk outside Tiangong space station (video) |url=https://www.space.com/china-shenzhou-18-record-breaking-spacewalk-may-2024 |access-date=22 July 2024 |work=Space.com}}
Another spacewalk was conducted on 3 July 2024, during which Ye Guangfu and Li Cong installed further space debris protection shields on pipelines, cables, and other equipment.{{Cite web |title=Shenzhou-18 taikonauts complete second spacewalk-Xinhua |url=https://english.news.cn/20240703/dc66058560064263afc0d1385bf1e62c/c.html |access-date=2024-07-22 |website=english.news.cn}}
=Return=
Shenzhou 18 successfully returned to Earth at 17:24 UTC on 3 November 2024.https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/chinas-shenzhou-18-astronauts-return-to-earth-today-after-6-months-in-space
Crew
{{Spaceflight crew|terminology=Crew member
|position1=Commander|crew1_up={{flagicon|China}} Ye Guangfu
|position2=Operator|crew2_up={{flagicon|China}} Li Cong
|position3=System Operator|crew3_up={{flagicon|China}} Li Guangsu
|agency1_up=PLAAC|agency2_up=PLAAC|agency3_up=PLAAC|flights1_up=Second|flights2_up=First|flights3_up=First}}
Commander Ye Guangfu is the second person to visit the station twice, having previously flown to Tiangong on Shenzhou 13.
References
{{Shenzhou program}}
{{Tiangong space station}}
{{Orbital launches in 2024}}
{{Portal bar|China|Spaceflight}}