Shenzhou-18

China

Manned Flight nº:

Earth orbit Flight nº:

China manned Flight nº: 11

st manned flight to CSS.

Launch, orbit & landing data:

Designation	59591 / 24078A
Launch date - time	25 April 2024 - 12:59:00 UTC (20:59 CST)
Launch site	Jiuquan, LA-4/SLS-1
Launch vehicle	CZ-2F/G (#Y18)
Shenzhou designation	CZ-18
Mass (kg)	8082 kg?
Docking date - time	25 April 2024 - 19:32 UTC
Target spacecraft/port	CSS/Tianhe nadir
Earth orbit on :
- Perigee / Apogee	Geocentric orbit, 371 - 380 km
- Inclination	41,47°
- Period	min
Undocking date - time	03 November 2024 - 08:12 UTC
Time docked	191d, 12h, 40min
Landing date - time	03 November 2024 - 17:24 UTC
Landing location	41°37'40"N 100°03'28"E (Inner Mongolia, China)
Flight Duration (d:hr:min)	192d 04h 25m
Nbr orbits	3041
Landing crew	launch crew

Shenzhou 18 crew: Li Guangsu, Li Cong and Ye Guangfu.

Launched Crew

Nr.	Name	Job	Duration
1	Ye, Guangfu	Commander	192d 04h 25m
2	Li, Guangsu	Astronaut 2	192d 04h 25m
3	Li, Cong	Astronaut 3	192d 04h 25m

Note: Shenzhou 18 is the seventh flight to the Tiangong space station, and is expected to last approximately 6 months. It will depart following the arrival of the Shenzhou 19 crew.
Commander Ye Guangfu is the second person to visit the station twice, having previously flown to Tiangong on Shenzhou 13.

Mission Report:

The mission launched from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on board a Long March 2F rocket on 25 April 2024 at 12:59:00 UTC (20:59 China Standard Time), near the end of the Shenzhou 17 mission. Approximately 6.5 hours after launch, the spacecraft docked at the nadir port of the station's Tianhe core module.
Spacewalks: On 28 May 2024, Ye Guangfu and Li Guangsu carried out China's longest spacewalk to date, exiting the airlock of the Wentian lab module and spending approximately 8.5 hours installing space debris protection shields and inspecting the exterior of the station.
Another spacewalk was conducted on 3 July 2024, during which Ye Guangfu and Li Cong installed further space debris protection shields on pipelines, cables, and other equipment.
Return: Shenzhou 18 successfully returned to Earth at 17:24 UTC on 3 November 2024.

Shenzhou-18 ready for launch.

Shenzhou-18 cabine recovery.

Shenzhou-18 crew recovery.

Shenzhou-18 cabine back site.

External links:

Wikipedia: Descriptions
Spacefacts: Mission description

Ref.: #16, #98 - update: 28.11.2025

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