Shenzhou 17

Shenzhou 17

Shenzhou 17 atop a Long March 2F prior to launch
Mission type	Tiangong space station crew transport
Operator	China Manned Space Agency
COSPAR ID	2023-164A
SATCAT no.	58146
Mission duration	187 days, 6 hours and 32 minutes
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type	Shenzhou
Manufacturer	China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation
Crew
Crew size	3
Members	Tang Hongbo Tang Shengjie Jiang Xinlin
EVAs	2
EVA duration	15 hours 17 minutes
Start of mission
Launch date	26 October 2023, 03:14:02 UTC
Rocket	Long March 2F
Launch site	Jiuquan, LA-4/SLS
Contractor	China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology
End of mission
Landing date	30 April 2024, 09:46 UTC
Landing site	Inner Mongolia, China
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric orbit
Regime	Low Earth orbit
Inclination	41.5°
Docking with Tiangong space station
Docking port	Tianhe forward
Docking date	26 October 2023, 09:46 UTC
Undocking date	30 April 2024, 00:43 UTC
Time docked	186 days, 14 hours and 57 minutes
Jiang Xinlin, Tang Hongbo and Tang Shengjie China Manned Space Program

Shenzhou 17 (Chinese: 神舟十七号; pinyin: Shénzhōu Shíqī-hào; lit. 'Divine Boat Number 17') was a Chinese spaceflight to the Tiangong space station, launched on 26 October 2023. It carried three People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps (PLAAC) taikonauts on board a Shenzhou spacecraft. The mission was the twelfth crewed Chinese spaceflight and the seventeenth flight overall of the Shenzhou program.

Background

Shenzhou 17 was the sixth spaceflight to the Tiangong space station, lasting just over six months.

The spacecraft entered the launch area in April 2023, prior to launch was maintained in a state of near-readiness if needed as a lifeboat for the Shenzhou 16 crew.

The crew of Shenzhou 17 was announced on 25 October 2023.

Mission

The flight launched from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on 26 October 2023 at 09:46 UTC, near the end of the Shenzhou 16 mission. Approximately 6.5 hours after launch, the spacecraft docked with the Tianhe core module's forward docking port.

Following docking, the crew entered the station and were greeted by the crew of Shenzhou 16, with whom they would share a four-day overlap between the two missions prior to Shenzhou 16's departure. The two crews sent a televised message to Mission Control as part of a handover ceremony, which was also livestreamed by Chinese national television broadcaster CCTV.

The mission ended on 30 April 2024, 9:46 UTC with a landing near the launch site in Inner Mongolia.

Spacewalks

On 21 December 2023, the first scheduled spacewalk of Shenzhou 17 was carried out by Tang Hongbo and Tang Shengjie through the airlock of the Wentian lab module. Tasks included a repair test of the Tianhe core module's solar panels, which have sustained minor damage caused by impacts of space debris and micrometeoroids. The spacewalk lasted for 7 hours and 25 minutes.

On 2 March 2024, the second scheduled spacewalk of Shenzhou 17 was carried out by Tang Hongbo and Jiang Xinlin through the airlock of the Wentian lab module. Tasks included maintenance of the solar panels of the Tianhe core module, evaluation and analysis of the performance status of the solar panel power generation and also inspection of the status of the space station modules. The spacewalk lasted for 7 hours and 52 minutes.

Crew

Position	Crew member
Commander	Tang Hongbo, CMSA Second spaceflight
Operator	Tang Shengjie, CMSA First spaceflight
Science Operator	Jiang Xinlin, CMSA First spaceflight

Commander Tang Hongbo is the first person to visit the station twice, having previously flown to Tiangong on Shenzhou 12. Tang Shengjie is also the youngest taikonaut to perform a spacewalk.

See also

• Shenzhou (spacecraft)
• Tiangong space station
• List of Tiangong space station spacewalks