Image: Wikimedia Commons montage (Johnson Lau / China News Service, CC BY-SA 3.0)
Shenzhou 11
Mission Profile
| Launch date | 2016-10-16 |
|---|---|
| Launch site | Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, LA-4/SLS-1 |
| Launch vehicle | Long March 2F/G (Y11) |
| Spacecraft | Shenzhou 11 |
| Target | Low Earth Orbit |
| Type | Crewed |
| End date | 2016-11-18 |
| Recovery | Land recovery — main landing area, central Inner Mongolia |
| Duration | 32 days, 6 hours, 29 minutes |
Overview
Shenzhou 11 was China's dress rehearsal for space station life. Jing Haipeng — on a record third flight — and rookie Chen Dong launched from Jiuquan at 23:30 UTC on 16 October 2016, 7:30 a.m. Beijing time on the 17th, aboard a Long March 2F/G. After two days of phasing, the spacecraft docked automatically with the Tiangong-2 space laboratory at 19:24 UTC on 18 October, beginning the only crewed expedition that outpost would ever host. For 30 days the pair lived and worked in the lab, the medium-duration stay the program needed to validate before committing to a permanent station: they cultivated lettuce and silkworms, ran cardiovascular and ultrasound studies on themselves, tested on-orbit maintenance procedures and broadcast science outreach to students. Shenzhou 11 undocked on 17 November and its descent module landed in central Inner Mongolia at 05:59 UTC on 18 November — 1:59 p.m. Beijing time — after 32 days, 6 hours and 29 minutes, roughly doubling the national duration record set by Shenzhou 10. Both men emerged in good condition, and Tiangong-2 stayed aloft to be refueled by the Tianzhou 1 cargo ship the following spring.
Crew
Jing Haipeng
Commander
Third spaceflight — the first Chinese astronaut to fly three times; later commanded Shenzhou 16
Chen Dong
Operator
First spaceflight; later commanded Shenzhou 14
Key Milestones
2016-10-16
Liftoff from Jiuquan at 23:30:31 UTC (07:30 Beijing time, 17 October)
2016-10-18
Automated docking with the Tiangong-2 space laboratory at 19:24 UTC
2016-11-17
Undocking at 04:41 UTC after a 30-day stay aboard Tiangong-2 — China's first medium-duration expedition
2016-11-18
Descent module lands in central Inner Mongolia at 05:59:38 UTC; at about 33 days, the longest Chinese crewed flight to date
Key Achievements
Longest Chinese crewed spaceflight of its era at about 33 days, more than doubling the previous national record
Only crewed expedition to the Tiangong-2 space laboratory
Validated 30-day medium-duration crew operations, a prerequisite for the permanent Tiangong station
Jing Haipeng became the first Chinese astronaut to complete three spaceflights
Conducted a broad science program including plant cultivation, in-orbit ultrasound and aerospace medicine experiments
Legacy & Significance
Shenzhou 11 closed the second phase of China's human spaceflight strategy by proving its crews could live productively in orbit for a month. The medical data, maintenance routines and crew-time planning gathered with Tiangong-2 fed directly into the design of the three-module Tiangong station, whose six-month expeditions began with Shenzhou 12 in 2021. Both crew members carried the experience forward — Chen Dong to command of Shenzhou 14, and Jing Haipeng to a fourth flight on Shenzhou 16 — making this mission the bridge between China's laboratory era and its space station age.
