China Readies for the Launch of the Shenzhou 11 Spacecraft

China prepares for the launch of the Shenzhou 11 spacecraft.

China is steadily preparing for the launch of the Shenzhou 11 spacecraft. The recent rollout of the Long March 2F vehicle which carried the spacecraft is a sign that the whole project is in good shape. However, not much information is available as China keeps its preparations low key.

Nonetheless, the deployment of the Shenzhou 11 spacecraft to the launch pad at Jiuquan has offered some details about the state of the project and other essential aspects required for the launch. At this point, there is no information available in regard to a specific date for the official launch of the spacecraft

The Shenzhou 11 spacecraft alongside the Launchpad must be in good conditions otherwise, it wouldn’t have been deployed. The Tiangong 2 space laboratory which will receive the crew of the spacecraft must also be operating properly. Any problems aboard the laboratory would have certainly led to a delay in the deployment.

The Chinese state media coverage of the event has been relatively tight. Although China’s astronaut launches are starting to become a routine process, there is the expectation that the launch of Shenzhou 11 spacecraft will be covered extensively.

Experts can speculate on launch based on the recent rollout. However, any such approximation is subject to change depending on various factors. The number of glitches found during maintenance and the weather before the launch are some of the most important factors when establishing a launch date. Nonetheless, most experts think that the launch will happen before October 20.

One of the biggest mysteries regarding the Shenzhou 11 spacecraft is the crew. This information is under tight control by the Chinese space agency and most likely won’t be made publicly until a few days before the official launch. There will also be a backup crew, whose members are unknown as well.

China is steadily building its space station and by 2024, when the ISS will be retired, it’s going to be the only country with a space station in orbit. Currently, China has sent two laboratory modules into orbit the Tiangong 1 and Tiangong 2. The core of the space station will be launched into space in 2018. Overall, the station is expected to be completed by 2022 and will feature two lab modules, once core and ports used to dock spacecraft.

Image source: Pixabay

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Karen Jackson

Karen Jackson has always been passionate about technology. All the way through high-school she immersed herself in computers and web-design. Her ambitious nature helped her become a pro in Adobe Photoshop only by watching online videos and working with the program herself. This is also the program that she mostly uses in the creation of websites at her work-place. Technological innovation and gadgets that push the boundaries of what we are comfortable with have always fascinated her, so expect to see some weird gadget reviews coming from her.