Watch the Launch

Additional Media

CASC - Long March 2F/G - Shenzhou 18 - Crewed Launch Tiangong - SLS-1 - Jiuquan - April 24, 2024

Shenzhou 18 (Chinese: 神舟十八号; pinyin: Shénzhōu Shíbā-hào; lit. 'Divine Boat Number 18') is a planned Chinese spaceflight to the Tiangong space station. It is expected to launch on 25 April 2024, near...

Shenzhou 18

Circle Image

Overview

Destination: Low Earth Orbit
Mission: Human Exploration

Low Earth Orbit Launch Area 4 (SLS-1 / 921) Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Seventh crewed flight to the Chinese space station.

Updates

Cosmic_Penguin • April 25, 2024, 2 p.m.

Launch success.


Cosmic_Penguin • April 25, 2024, 1 p.m.

Liftoff.


LL2 • April 25, 2024, 9:58 a.m.

Unofficial Re-stream by VideoFromSpace has started


Cosmic_Penguin • April 15, 2024, 9:20 a.m.

Added launch window per NOTAMs.


Cosmic_Penguin • March 15, 2024, 8:13 a.m.

NET April 25.


Long March 2

Family:
Configuration: F/G

The Long March 2F is a Chinese orbital carrier rocket, part of the Long March 2 rocket family. Designed to launch the crewed Shenzhou spacecraft, the Long March 2F is a human-rated two-stage version of the Long March 2E rocket, which in turn was based on the Long March 2C launch vehicle. It is launched from complex SLS at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.

Specifications
  • Stages
    2
  • Length
    62.0 m
  • Diameter
    3.35 m
  • Fairing Diameter
  • Launch Mass
    464.0 T
  • Thrust
Family
  • Name
    Long March 2
  • Family
  • Variant
    F/G
  • Alias
  • Full Name
    Long March 2F/G
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
  • Low Earth Orbit
    8399.0 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
  • Direct Geostationary
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity

Shenzhou 18


Active Human Rated Crew On-board: 3 Crew Capacity: 3
Destination: Tiangong Space Station
Serial Number: 18

Seventh crewed mission to the Chinese Space Station.

Shenzhou Details

Crew


Ye Guangfu

Commander - configurations.Country.None - ( CNSA )

Status: Active

Date of Birth: Sept. 1, 1980
Age: 45

Cong Li

Engineer - configurations.Country.None - ( CNSA )

Status: Active

Date of Birth: Oct. 1, 1989
Age: 36

Guangsu Li

Engineer - configurations.Country.None - ( CNSA )

Status: Active

Date of Birth: July 1, 1987
Age: 38

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation

(CASC)

Chairman & President: Lei Fanpei Founded: 1999 Successes: 541 Failures: 14 Pending: 6

Agency Type:

The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) is the main contractor for the Chinese space program. It is state-owned and has a number of subordinate entities which design, develop and manufacture a range of spacecraft, launch vehicles, strategic and tactical missile systems, and ground equipment. It was officially established in July 1999 as part of a Chinese government reform drive, having previously been one part of the former China Aerospace Corporation. Various incarnations of the program date back to 1956.

INFO WIKI

Related News

SpaceNews

China’s Shenzhou-18 crew arrive at Tiangong space station

China’s three Shenzhou-18 mission astronauts arrived at the Tiangong space station Thursday following launch from Jiuquan spaceport.

SpacePolicyOnline.com

New Chinese Space Station Crew Arrives at Tiangong-3 Space Station

China continued its new pattern of space station crew exchanges today with the launch of the three-man Shenzhou-18 crew. They docked with the Tiangong-3 space station 6.5 hours after launch […]

NASASpaceflight

Launch Roundup: SpaceX lands its 300th booster, NASA tests a solar sail, and China launches three more taikonauts

During the last full week of April, forthcoming launches include two Starlink missions planned on Monday and Friday, and another two more Falcon 9 flights lifting customer satellites. The first of these is the delayed WorldView Legion 1 & …

Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Launch Area 4 (SLS-1 / 921)


Falcon 9
Success
6 hours, 18 minutes ago
Starlink Group 6-78
Launch Complex 39A - Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

A batch of 29 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Electron
Success
21 hours, 15 minutes ago
Follow My Speed (BlackSky Gen-3 3?)
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1A - Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

Note: Payload and customer identities unconfirmed, identification based on mission patch and rocket drop zones analysis. 3rd of the BlackSky Gen-3…


Long March 2
Success
2 days, 5 hours ago
Shijian 30 A-C
Launch Area 4 (SLS-2 / 603) - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

3 Chinese satellites described as for “Space Environment Measurements” purposes. Actual usage not known.


Falcon 9
Success
2 days, 9 hours ago
Starlink Group 6-94
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

A batch of 29 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Electron
Success
2 days, 20 hours ago
Prometheus Run (VAN)
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 (Launch Area 0 C) - Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, USA

Sub-orbital launch under Rocket Lab’s Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron (HASTE) program. This mission was lead by MDA and deployed a…


Falcon 9
Success
4 days, 4 hours ago
Sentinel-6B
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

The Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich (launched November 2020) and Sentinel-6B make up the Sentinel-6 mission, also known as Jason Continuity of Service (…


Falcon 9
Success
6 days, 3 hours ago
Starlink Group 6-85
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

A batch of 29 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Falcon 9
Success
6 days, 6 hours ago
Starlink Group 6-89
Launch Complex 39A - Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

A batch of 29 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Atlas V 551
Success
1 week ago
ViaSat-3 F2 (ViaSat-3 EMEA)
Space Launch Complex 41 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

The ViaSat-3 is a series of three Ka-band satellites is expected to provide vastly superior capabilities in terms of service speed and flexibility fo…


New Glenn
Success
1 week ago
EscaPADE
Launch Complex 36A - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

Second flight of Blue Origin's New Glenn launch vehicle carrying the Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (EscaPADE), a dual-spacecr…