Shenzhou 18

Shenzhou 18

Liftoff of Shenzhou 18.
Mission type	Tiangong space station crew transport
Operator	China Manned Space Agency
COSPAR ID	2024-078A
SATCAT no.	59591
Mission duration	192 days, 4 hours and 25 minutes
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type	Shenzhou
Manufacturer	China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation
Crew
Crew size	3
Members	Ye Guangfu Li Cong Li Guangsu
Start of mission
Launch date	25 April 2024, 12:59:00 UTC (20:59 CST)
Rocket	Long March 2F
Launch site	Jiuquan, LA-4/SLS-1
Contractor	China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology
End of mission
Landing date	3 November 2024, 17:24 UTC
Landing site	Inner Mongolia, China
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric orbit
Regime	Low Earth orbit
Inclination	41.5°
Docking with Tiangong space station
Docking port	Tianhe nadir
Docking date	25 April 2024, 19:32 UTC
Undocking date	3 November 2024, 08:12 UTC
Time docked	191 days, 12 hours and 40 minutes
Li Guangsu, Li Cong and Ye Guangfu China Manned Space Program

Shenzhou 18 (Chinese: 神舟十八号; pinyin: Shénzhōu Shíbā-hào; lit. 'Divine Boat Number 18') was a Chinese spaceflight to the Tiangong space station, launched on 25 April 2024. It carried three People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps (PLAAC) taikonauts on board a Shenzhou spacecraft. The mission was the thirteenth crewed Chinese spaceflight and the eighteenth flight overall of the Shenzhou program.

The three crew members in this mission contributed to breaking the record for the most people (19) simultaneously in orbit, set after the Soyuz MS-26 mission launched on 11 September with its three crew members, along with the four crew members of the private Polaris Dawn mission launched on 10 September, and the nine crew members on the International Space Station.

Background

Shenzhou 18 is the seventh flight to the Tiangong space station, and is expected to last approximately 6 months. It will depart following the arrival of the Shenzhou 19 crew.

The crew of Shenzhou 18 was announced on April 24, 2024.

Mission

The mission launched from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on board a Long March 2F rocket on 25 April 2024 at 12:59:00 UTC (20:59 China Standard Time), near the end of the Shenzhou 17 mission. Approximately 6.5 hours after launch, the spacecraft docked at the nadir port of the station's Tianhe core module.

Spacewalks

On 28 May 2024, Ye Guangfu and Li Guangsu carried out China's longest spacewalk to date, exiting the airlock of the Wentian lab module and spending approximately 8.5 hours installing space debris protection shields and inspecting the exterior of the station.

Another spacewalk was conducted on 3 July 2024, during which Ye Guangfu and Li Cong installed further space debris protection shields on pipelines, cables, and other equipment.

Return

Shenzhou 18 successfully returned to Earth at 17:24 UTC on November 3, 2024.

Crew

Position	Crew member
Commander	Ye Guangfu, PLAAC Second spaceflight
Operator	Li Cong, PLAAC First spaceflight
Science Operator	Li Guangsu, PLAAC First spaceflight

Commander Ye Guangfu is the second person to visit the station twice, having previously flown to Tiangong on Shenzhou 13.