Shenzhou 8

Shenzhou 8
Diagram of Shenzhou 8 (right)
docked with Tiangong-1 (left)
Mission typeTest flight
COSPAR ID2011-063A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.37859
Mission duration18 days
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeShenzhou
Start of mission
Launch date31 October 2011, 21:58:10.430 UTC
RocketLong March 2F
Launch siteJiuquan, LA-4/SLS-1
ContractorChina Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT)
End of mission
Landing date17 November 2011, 11:32 UTC
Landing siteSiziwang Banner, Inner Mongolia
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Inclination51.37°
Docking with Tiangong-1
Docking date2 November 2011, 17:28 UTC
Docking with Tiangong-1
Docking date14 November 2011, 12:07 UTC
Undocking date16 November 2011, 10:30 UTC
Time docked1 day, 22 hours, 23 minutes
Shenzhou 8
Chinese神舟八号
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinShénzhōu Bāhào
Gwoyeu RomatzyhShernjou bahaw
Wade–GilesShenchao pahao
IPA[ʂə̌nʈʂóʊ páxâʊ]
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationShenjou bahau
JyutpingSan4zau1 baat3hou6
IPA[sɐ̏ntsɐ̄u pāːthɐ̀u]

Shenzhou 8 (Chinese: 神舟八号) was an uncrewed flight of China's Shenzhou program,[1] launched on 31 October 2011 UTC, or 1 November 2011 in China, by a Long March 2F rocket which lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.[2]

The Shenzhou 8 spacecraft was automatically docked with the Tiangong-1 space module (launched on 29 September 2011) on 3 November 2011 and again on 14 November 2011.[3] This uncrewed docking – China's first – was followed in 2012 with the crewed Shenzhou 9 mission, which performed a crewed docking (also China's first) with the Tiangong-1 module.[1][4] Only the Soviet Union (Russia), Japan[5] and the European Space Agency (ESA) had achieved automatic rendezvous and docking prior to China's accomplishment.

  1. ^ a b David, Leonard (7 March 2011). "China Details Ambitious Space Station Goals". Space.com. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference nsf20111031 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Wall, Mike (2 November 2011). "China Succeeds in First Space Docking by 2 Spaceships". Space.com. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  4. ^ Clark, Stephen (12 May 2011). "Docking, extended space missions up next for China". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
  5. ^ ETS-VII