Shenzhou 23 | Launch mission achieved complete success

The Shenzhou 23 crewed spacecraft launched into the sky at 11:08 PM from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, carrying three astronauts, including Commander Zhu Yangzhu, Zhang Zhiyuan, and Hong Kong’s first astronaut, Li Jiaying.

After takeoff, the escape tower separated, followed by the separation of four boosters, the rocket’s first and second stages, and the payload fairing. After the rocket entered the planned orbit, the spacecraft separated from the rocket, the solar array panels deployed, and the three astronauts said they felt well.

The launch center announced that the Shenzhou 23 launch mission was a complete success.

As planned, after entering orbit, the spacecraft will use an autonomous rapid rendezvous and docking approach to dock with the radial ports of the Tianhe core module, forming a combination of three ships and three modules.

Around 8 PM, the three astronauts attended the send-off ceremony at the launch center’s Tiantian Pavilion Dream Park Square. After the commander issued the order to depart, they set off on receiving the command. They then boarded a special vehicle, arrived at the launch tower, and entered the return capsule in sequence via the orbital module. Li Jiaying entered first and sat on the left side of the return capsule, followed by Zhang Zhiyuan, who sat on the right side; finally, Zhu Yangzhu entered last and sat in the middle.