China's Shenzhou 21 manned spacecraft was successfully launched and completed an autonomous rapid rendezvous and docking with the space station complex, setting a new record for the fastest rendezvous and docking between a Shenzhou spacecraft and the space station.
According to Xinhua News Agency, the Long March 2F Yao-21 carrier rocket carrying the Shenzhou 21 manned spacecraft ignited and launched at 23:44 on Friday (October 31) at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. About 10 minutes later, the spacecraft successfully separated from the rocket and entered the predetermined orbit, the crew of astronauts were in good condition, and the launch was a success.
After entering orbit, the spacecraft successfully docked with the forward port of the Tianhe Core Module of the space station at 3:22 on the 1st, and the entire docking process took about 3.5 hours.
According to the report, this is the fastest record for the rendezvous and docking between a Shenzhou spacecraft and the space station. Previously, Shenzhou 12 to Shenzhou 20 manned spacecraft all used a 6.5-hour rendezvous and docking scheme.
According to the China Manned Space Engineering Office, after the rendezvous and docking, the Shenzhou 21 crew entered the orbital module from the return capsule. At 4:58 on the 1st, the crew of Shenzhou 20, who were carrying out tasks in orbit, smoothly opened the hatch to welcome the Shenzhou 21 crew into the Chinese Space Station. This marks the seventh “space reunion” in China’s space history.