Introduction to Shenzhou VI

Shenzhou VI was launched from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at 9:00 a.m. Beijing time (UTC+8) on October 12, 2005, with two Chinese astronauts, Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng, sent into space for an estimated flight time of five days. They will first run five laps in an elliptical orbit with an orbital inclination of 42.4 degrees, a perigee altitude of 200 kilometers and an apogee altitude of 347 kilometers, and then enter a 343-kilometer circular orbit after the implementation of the orbit change; it will take 90 minutes to fly around the Earth, and the flight trajectory projected to the ground will be a sinusoidal curve that is constantly moving to the east. The orbital characteristics are the same as those of Shenzhou V.

October 11

22:15-22:17 Astronauts enter the spacecraft

22:53 Shenzhou VI return capsule hatch closes

October 12

00:27 Rocket tower operating bracket is fully open

01:00:00 The Long March 2 F rocket ignition

01:00:03.583 Shenzhou VI launch

01:02:03 (120th second after ignition) Rocket escape tower separation

01:02:19 (136th second after ignition) Rocket booster separation

01:02:42 (159th second after ignition) Rocket first stage separates, first stage Rocket falls

01:03:23 (200 seconds after ignition) Rocket fairing detached at 110 kilometers

01:09:52 Shenzhou 6 enters orbit

07:56 Shenzhou 6 spacecraft performs a change in trajectory

October 13

02:10 Astronauts conduct in-orbit anti-jamming tests

18:21 Far-away rocket is in orbit.

18:21 Deterioration of sea conditions in the area where Farwatch 1, Farwatch 2 and Farwatch 3 are located

21:56 Shenzhou 6 spacecraft carries out the first orbital maintenance after re-orbiting

October 15

08:29-08:31 2 astronauts speak with Hu Jintao, President of the People's Republic of China*** and the People's Republic of China.

October 16

18:40 Shenzhou VI enters its 76th orbit around the Earth over the Qingdao Station measurement and control area

18:44 Shenzhou VI return command is unlocked

19:10 The dispatcher of the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center (BAFCC) announces that the return segment tracking has entered the 30-minute readiness

19:17 Shenzhou VI is

19:18 The propulsion module's solar sailboard is zeroed vertically

19:42 The Far-Eye Survey Vessel No. 3 captured the signal of Shenzhou VI

19:43-19:48 The Far-Eye Survey Vessel No. 3 carried out a series of key control measures for Shenzhou VI, such as attitude adjustment, separation of the orbital module from the return voyage, and braking and ignition, and Shenzhou VI successfully entered the return section. Shenzhou VI successfully enters the scheduled return orbit

19:43 Far Sight 3 sends commands to Shenzhou VI, and the first attitude adjustment of Shenzhou VI begins

19:44 Orbital module successfully separates from the return capsule

19:45 Propulsion module engine fires up, and the return voyage begins

19:48:29 The propulsion module orbital control engine shuts down, and flies out of the Far Sight 3 survey ship. It flies out of the measurement and control section of the Far Sight 3 survey ship

19:52 The capsule flies over the African continent, coming towards China

20:02 The capsule flies over South Asia, and the astronauts report that the spacecraft is working normally, and they feel good

20:07 The Propulsion Module and the Return Module are successfully separated

20:13 The capsule enters the communication blackout zone

20:16 The landing site is in the blackout zone, and the spacecraft is in the blackout zone, and the astronauts report that the spacecraft is working normally.

20:16 Landing site measurement and control equipment found the spacecraft

20:19 The main parachute cover of the return module opened

20:20 The deceleration parachute was taken off, the main parachute was opened, and the helicopter saw the target visually

20:23 The heatproof bottom of the return module was successfully thrown off

20:33 The return module landed successfully

21:04 The return module door was opened

21:04 The return module door was opened

21:05 The return module was opened.

21:39 Two astronauts, Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng, leave the capsule

October 17

Back to Earth