Chinese launch yesterday set record for number of humans in space
The launch yesterday of three Chinese astronauts to that country’s Tiangong-3 space station established a new record, seventeen, for the number of humans in space.
The launch of the next crew to China’s Tiangong space station late Monday (U.S. time) added three astronauts to the population of humans in space, which reached a record number of 17 people in orbit — six Chinese citizens, five Americans, three Russians, two Saudis, and one Emirati astronaut.
The arrival of Chinese astronauts Jing Haipeng, Zhu Yangzhu, and Gai Haichao in space following their launch atop a Long March rocket broke the previous record of 14 people in orbit at one time.
Meanwhile, the four-person crew of the commercial AX-2 mission to ISS, has undocked from ISS, with SpaceX’s Freedom capsule expected to splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico at 11:09 pm (Eastern) tonight.
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The launch yesterday of three Chinese astronauts to that country’s Tiangong-3 space station established a new record, seventeen, for the number of humans in space.
The launch of the next crew to China’s Tiangong space station late Monday (U.S. time) added three astronauts to the population of humans in space, which reached a record number of 17 people in orbit — six Chinese citizens, five Americans, three Russians, two Saudis, and one Emirati astronaut.
The arrival of Chinese astronauts Jing Haipeng, Zhu Yangzhu, and Gai Haichao in space following their launch atop a Long March rocket broke the previous record of 14 people in orbit at one time.
Meanwhile, the four-person crew of the commercial AX-2 mission to ISS, has undocked from ISS, with SpaceX’s Freedom capsule expected to splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico at 11:09 pm (Eastern) tonight.
Readers!
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. Your support allows me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
NextSpaceFlight indicates that the targeted splashdown time of AX-2 is 23:09 EST this evening.
Ray Van Dune: My eyes no longer see as well as they used to. I misread the time and pm. Now fixed.
Around 2016, when Falcon 9 was just starting to be reusable, ULA predicted that there would be 20 people working in space by 2021. They may not have been so very far off in their optimism.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxftPmpt7aA (7 minutes, “ULA CisLunar-1000”)
ULA has abandoned some of the plans mentioned in the video, but these can be replaced by other companies and their plans.
The video mentions that about half the energy needed to get anywhere in the solar system is just getting into Earth orbit. Here is a delta-v chart:
http://i.imgur.com/SqdzxzF.png
Scott Manley mentioned this record number of people in space in his recent “space updates” video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORTlscibOn4#t=530 (watch 2 minutes)
Manley mentions that the Virgin Galactic flight last week resulted in 20 people in space, but this Chinese launch puts 17 people in orbit. A distinction with a difference. Manley also says that the SpaceX documents in the lawsuit against the FAA regarding Starship launches show that SpaceX has spent $5 Billion on Starship and the Boca Chica sites. My reading of the documents was that they have spent only $3 billion or so. Manley also says that Starship is expected to cost $2 billion per year for future development, but Starlink is now bringing in revenues with (last I heard) 1-1/2 million subscribers; this should bring in $2 billion per year. More as subscriptions increase. Last year’s 60 or so Falcon launches should have brought in around $4 billion in launch revenue.
Robert’s posting reminds us that the manned utilization of space is growing, and that China is a major player in this growth. Manned space is starting to shape up in the way that, in the last half of the 2010s decade, we had expected for this decade.
Exciting times.