The Long March-2F rocket carrying the Shenzhou-22 unmanned spacecraft took off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center to carry out a mission to the Tiangong space station on November 25 - Photo: REUTERS
According to Reuters, on November 25, China carried out the first emergency launch in the history of its manned space program, to respond to the safety risk at the Tiangong space station after the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft was damaged in orbit earlier this month.
The Shenzhou-22 spacecraft (unmanned) was launched at exactly 12:11 pm (local time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center (Gansu) by a Long March-2F rocket, according to an announcement by the China Manned Space Administration (CMSA).
Footage released by CCTV showed the rocket blazing through the sky before separating from its booster and entering its pre-set orbit. CMSA confirmed the launch was “completely successful”.
According to Reuters, the incident began on November 5, when the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft, which was preparing to bring a group of astronauts back to Earth, was found to have cracked glass in its landing capsule, most likely due to a collision with space debris. Therefore, the spacecraft was assessed as no longer safe to use.
Since 2021, each Shenzhou mission has sent three astronauts to Tiangong for six-month stays, and China always maintains a spare set of rockets and spacecraft in case of emergency.
On November 14, China decided to activate the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft, sending three astronauts to the space station as a replacement.
According to CMSA, Shenzhou-22 will carry spare parts for the Tiangong space station, repair equipment for the Shenzhou-20 space station, and fresh fruits and vegetables for the astronauts. The ship will dock at the station until around April 2026, and will be used to bring the Shenzhou-21 astronauts back.
"This is China's first emergency launch, and we hope it will also be the last on mankind's journey of space exploration ," CMSA official He Yuanjun told CCTV.
CMSA said it took only 16 days from the time the problem was detected to launch for China to activate emergency procedures - thanks to the Shenzhou-22 spacecraft and rocket being pre-positioned at Jiuquan.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/trung-quoc-lan-dau-phong-khan-cap-tau-than-chau-22-20251125151701071.htm
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