China's first emergency space launch entered orbit after blasting off on Tuesday (November 25), as the country looks to plug safety risks at its crewed space station after a vessel was damaged in orbit earlier this month.
Breakdown
- China launched its first emergency space mission after damage to a space station vessel.
- The unmanned Shenzhou-22 spacecraft was launched from northwest China at 12:11pm local time. 7s
- Astronauts aboard Tiangong had no safe return craft after Shenzhou-20 was deemed unsafe due to a cracked window, likely from space debris. 20s
- Shenzhou-22 will provide a way home for the astronauts and deliver spare parts and fresh food. 37s
- The new spacecraft will remain docked at Tiangong until around April 2026. 47s