Key Takeaways:
- China is preparing for the Shenzhou-21 crewed mission, targeting the Tiangong space station.
- The mission's launch, utilizing a Long March-2F carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, is anticipated "in the near future" by Xinhua, while external sources project October 31 at 11:44 a.m. EDT.
- This flight will be China's 16th crewed spaceflight, transporting three taikonauts to the orbiting laboratory to relieve the incumbent Shenzhou-20 crew.
- Extensive pre-launch preparations at Jiuquan include the transfer of the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft and Long March-2F rocket to the launch pad, facility and equipment checks, full-system launch drills, and subsequent rocket fueling.
Mission Highlight: China’s Shenzhou-21 crew launch
This week’s highlight is the upcoming launch of China’s Shenzhou-21 crewed mission to the Tiangong space station. While Xinhua states the launch will occur “at an appropriate time in the near future,” external sources such as Next Spaceflight report the Long March-2F carrier rocket is scheduled to lift off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Friday, Oct. 31, at 11:44 a.m. EDT. This discrepancy is not unusual, as China often maintains flexibility in announcing precise launch schedules for its missions. This flight marks the 16th crewed Chinese spaceflight and will carry three taikonauts for a stay aboard the orbiting laboratory.
Preparations are well underway at Jiuquan, which serves as China’s sole launch site for human spaceflight missions. On Friday, Oct. 24, the fully assembled combination of the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft and its Long March-2F rocket was transferred to the launch pad. According to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA), all facilities and equipment at the site are in good condition, as reported by Xinhua.
In the days leading up to the launch, teams will conduct final pre-launch checks on both the spacecraft and the rocket. Full-system launch drills and joint exercises involving meteorological, emergency support, fire control, and medical departments are also being carried out. Following these checks, the rocket will be fueled for launch. The Shenzhou-21 crew will relieve the Shenzhou-20 crew currently aboard the Tiangong station.
Other missions this week
Today, Oct. 27: SpaceX is scheduled to launch the Starlink Group 11-21 mission on a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, at 5:21 p.m. EDT.
Wednesday, Oct. 29: A Falcon 9 is set to launch the Starlink Group 10-37 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, at 8:52 a.m. EDT.
Thursday, Oct. 30: SpaceX returns to California for the Starlink Group 11-23 launch on a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg at 4:06 p.m. EDT.
Sunday, Nov. 2: A busy day closes the week. First, a SpaceX Falcon 9 will launch the Bandwagon-4 mission from Cape Canaveral at 1:09 a.m. EDT. This is a dedicated rideshare mission carrying multiple small satellites. Later, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is scheduled to launch the CMS-03 (GSAT-7R) communications satellite on an LVM-3 rocket from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at 6:30 a.m. EST. This satellite will provide secure communications for the Indian Navy.
Last week’s recap
The week of Oct. 20–26 was another packed period, with seven launches. The highlight was SpaceX’s launch of the SPAINSAT New Generation II communications satellite for Spain on Thursday, Oct. 23. Japan also had a major flight, launching its HTV-X 1 cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station on Saturday, Oct. 25. China launched two missions, TJSW-20 and Gaofen-14 02. SpaceX rounded out the week by launching three separate Starlink missions (Group 11-5, 11-12, and 10-21) from both coasts.
Looking ahead
Next week, launch fans can look forward to the launch of ViaSat-3 F2 on a ULA Atlas V 551, scheduled for Monday, Nov. 3. That’s followed by the Sentinel-1D mission on an Arianespace Ariane 62 on Tuesday, Nov. 4. Rocket Lab also has a mission, “The Nation God Navigates,” scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 5, and Blue Origin’s New Glenn may debut with the ESCAPADE mission on Saturday, Nov. 9.
