Shenzhou 13

It carried three People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps (PLAAC) taikonauts on board a Shenzhou spacecraft. The mission was the eighth crewed Chinese spaceflight and the thirteenth flight overall of the Shenzhou program.

Shenzhou 13

Launch of Shenzhou 13 on a Long March 2F
Mission type	Tiangong space station crew transport
Operator	China Manned Space Agency
COSPAR ID	2021-092A
SATCAT no.	49326
Mission duration	182 days, 9 hours and 32 minutes
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type	Shenzhou
Manufacturer	China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation
Crew
Crew size	3
Members	Zhai Zhigang Wang Yaping Ye Guangfu
EVAs	2
EVA duration	12 hours 36 minutes
Start of mission
Launch date	15 October 2021, 16:23:56 UTC
Rocket	Long March 2F
Launch site	Jiuquan, LA-4/SLS
Contractor	China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology
End of mission
Landing date	16 April 2022, 01:56:49 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 nadir
Docking date	15 October 2021, 22:56 UTC
Undocking date	15 April 2022, 16:44 UTC
Time docked	181 days, 17 hours and 48 minutes
Shenzhou 13 mission patch Ye Guangfu, Zhai Zhigang and Wang Yaping Shenzhou programme ← Shenzhou 12 Shenzhou 14 →

Shenzhou 13 was the second spaceflight to the Tiangong space station (at the time consisting only of the Tianhe core module), and the first with a planned duration of six months (180 days). Following Shenzhou 13, six months would become the standard orbital duration for subsequent Shenzhou missions.

For Shenzhou 13, the China Academy of Space Technology developed a new method of radial docking of the spacecraft to the bottom of Tiangong's Tianhe core module, differing from the front and rear docking method used previously by Shenzhou 12 and the Tianzhou cargo missions. This new method of docking would be crucial for both cargo logistics and crew operations, and would allow multiple Shenzhou spacecraft to dock to Tiangong at one time, making in-space crew changeovers possible for the first time.

The crew of Shenzhou 13 was announced on 14 October 2021.

 

The flight launched from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on 15 October 2021 at 16:23 UTC, following the launch of the Tianzhou 3 cargo spacecraft. Just over 6.5 hours after launch, the spacecraft docked with the Tianhe core module's nadir docking port. The crew entered the station on 16 October at 01:58 UTC.

During the mission, the Shenzhou 14 spacecraft remained on standby to serve as an emergency rescue vehicle.

The Shenzhou 13 crew carried out two spacewalks, worked on payloads both inside and outside the station, and carried out other scientific work during the six-month mission.

Spacewalks

 

On 7 November 2021, the first scheduled spacewalk of Shenzhou 13 was carried out by Zhai Zhigang and Wang Yaping, during which Wang Yaping became the first Chinese woman to perform a spacewalk. The two taikonauts installed a dual-arm connector for the station's robotic arm, and tested EVA equipment on the exterior of Tianhe. The spacewalk lasted for 6 hours and 25 minutes.

On 26 December 2021, the second and final spacewalk of the mission was carried out by Zhai Zhigang and Ye Guangfu, with Wang Yaping assisting the pair from inside the Tianhe core module. The taikonauts deployed panoramic camera C, installed a foot restraint platform, and tested various methods of moving objects outside the station. The spacewalk lasted for 6 hours and 11 minutes.

Space lectures

On 9 December 2021 at 3:55 PM China Standard Time (07:55 UTC), the crew of Shenzhou 13 conducted their first live "space lecture" broadcast. The "main classroom" was located in the China Science and Technology Museum in Beijing, with "branch classrooms" in Nanning, Wenchuan, Hong Kong, and Macau. During the lecture, part of which was led by Wang Yaping, the taikonauts explained what living in space was like, and performed scientific experiments on cell biology, the behavior of effervescent tablets in microgravity, and water surface tension. After the lesson, the taikonauts were given time to answer schoolchildren's questions from the classrooms.

On 23 March 2022 at 3:40 PM China Standard Time (07:40 UTC), the crew of Shenzhou 13 conducted a second live "space lecture" broadcast. The "main classroom" was once again in the China Science and Technology Museum in Beijing, with "branch classrooms" in Lhasa, Tibet; and Ürümqi, Xinjiang. The lecture followed a similar structure to the previous broadcast, with a science lesson followed by a question-and-anwer session with the taikonauts.

Interaction with American students

On 10 April 2022, at 3:00 AM China Standard Time (9 April, 19:00 UTC), a special question-and-answer session between the crew of Shenzhou 13 and American students was held at the Chinese Embassy in the U.S. in Washington, D.C., hosted by Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. Qin Gang. During the event, a pre-recorded message from SpaceX CEO Elon Musk was also played, expressing his wishes for further international cooperation in space in the future.

Return

Shenzhou 13 undocked from Tiangong on 15 April 2022 at 16:44 UTC, and landed nine hours later on 16 April at the Dongfeng landing site in the Gobi Desert in Inner Mongolia at 01:56 UTC.

Position	Crew member
Commander	Zhai Zhigang, PLAAC Second spaceflight
Operator	Wang Yaping, PLAAC Second spaceflight
System Operator	Ye Guangfu, PLAAC First spaceflight

Zhai Zhigang previously flew on Shenzhou 7.

Wang Yaping, the first woman to visit the Tiangong space station and the first Chinese woman to fly to space twice, previously flew on Shenzhou 10.

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