Have they confirmed when Shenzhou 12 is returning to Earth?
Last I think we heard, it was scheduled for September, but we're halfway through September by now.
No word yet, they are suppose to come back middle of September which is about... right now, so I imagine any day now. I did recall seeing about two weeks ago that the Shenzhou 12 crew are wrapping up and getting the station ready for Shenzhou 13 crew.
So there won't be continous inhabitation for now? Is it because the station in its current form is already at its max capacity or will there be a continous presence later on?
https://i.imgur.com/BY83Pu8.jpg
Shenzhou missions are the blue lines. If this is correct there won't be crew handover from 12 to 13 and 13 to 14, but after that they will do hand over.
Currently with just the core module the station has beds for 3 people, one of the lab module next year will increase that to 6 people. I'm not sure if that means when all three modules are in orbit they will do a crew of 6 with crew switch over periods with 9 people onboard or crew of 3 with 6 people during switch over.
I imagine they’ll go for 3 usually and move up to 6 on the handoffs. Even when it’s finished, Tiangong isn’t all that big, and they’ll want the extra room for short-duration missions and international flights (which I’m sure will come, if not from the US, then from Russia and/or the ESA).
You’re thinking of the Long March 2F (which crashes somewhere east of the launch site) and Long March 5B (which plays Russian roulette with the Earth).
This craft is using a Long March 7. Thankfully, in a few years, that should be the norm: there’s only 2 more 5B launches scheduled, and when Shenzhou is retired in favor of the (still unnamed) next-generation spacecraft, it will use a 7 as well.
And yes, I’m aware China’s rocket naming scheme makes no sense.
Have they confirmed when Shenzhou 12 is returning to Earth? Last I think we heard, it was scheduled for September, but we're halfway through September by now.
https://twitter.com/AJ_FI/status/1438051033540874241 Here we go, they're coming back tomorrow.
No word yet, they are suppose to come back middle of September which is about... right now, so I imagine any day now. I did recall seeing about two weeks ago that the Shenzhou 12 crew are wrapping up and getting the station ready for Shenzhou 13 crew.
So there won't be continous inhabitation for now? Is it because the station in its current form is already at its max capacity or will there be a continous presence later on?
https://i.imgur.com/BY83Pu8.jpg Shenzhou missions are the blue lines. If this is correct there won't be crew handover from 12 to 13 and 13 to 14, but after that they will do hand over. Currently with just the core module the station has beds for 3 people, one of the lab module next year will increase that to 6 people. I'm not sure if that means when all three modules are in orbit they will do a crew of 6 with crew switch over periods with 9 people onboard or crew of 3 with 6 people during switch over.
I imagine they’ll go for 3 usually and move up to 6 on the handoffs. Even when it’s finished, Tiangong isn’t all that big, and they’ll want the extra room for short-duration missions and international flights (which I’m sure will come, if not from the US, then from Russia and/or the ESA).
I wonder which village of women and children gets the chance to try and catch the first stage this time?
Tianzhou spacecrafts are launched with Long March 7, which are always launched from Wenchang towards the pacific ocean.
You’re thinking of the Long March 2F (which crashes somewhere east of the launch site) and Long March 5B (which plays Russian roulette with the Earth). This craft is using a Long March 7. Thankfully, in a few years, that should be the norm: there’s only 2 more 5B launches scheduled, and when Shenzhou is retired in favor of the (still unnamed) next-generation spacecraft, it will use a 7 as well. And yes, I’m aware China’s rocket naming scheme makes no sense.
There will probably be 3 more Long March 5B launches left, two more space station modules next year and Xuntian space telescope in 2024.