Today, June 5, 2010, at 10:44 Moscow Time (5:44 Moscow Time), the Shenzhou-14 manned satellite with three taikonauts was launched from China’s Jiuquan Cosmodrome to the orbital station. The spacecraft was launched 577 seconds later from the Long March 2F rocket vehicle. It then entered its assigned orbit. Launch was declared successful by the China Manned Space Flight Program Administration.
The mission crew was comprised of Commander Chen Dong and Cai Xuzhe. They were the first to orbit, while Liu Yang, the first female astronaut in history, had been in space since 2012. The six-month stay in orbit will see the taikonauts. Their return to Earth is set for December.
The Shenzhou-14 crew will finish the construction of the national orbital base during their time in orbit. The 20-ton Wentian Module, weighing in at 20 tons, will be sent to orbit. It is equipped with laboratory equipment. It also has three sleeping areas, a kitchen, and a bathroom. This module can accommodate six taikonauts. The Mengtian laboratory module will arrive in October.
The Shenzhou-14 crew will be responsible for ensuring that the modules are docked with the station’s main module. After this, the taikonauts and scientists will put in the scientific equipment and make it operational – both inside and outside the station. They will be responsible for the day-to-day maintenance of the facility, conduct about 100 planned scientific experiments and teach several lessons to Chinese schoolchildren from orbit.
The Tianzhou-5 truck will arrive at station by the end of the year. Also, the Shenzhou-15 crew of three will be there. The station will have six taikonauts for a time. After that, the Shenzhou-14 personnel can complete their mission and return to home.