After the launch of the Chinese spacecraft Shenzhou-16, the number of people in Earth orbit at the same time reached 17 people, breaking a record. DEA News.
According to the agency, the previous record was set on September 16, 2021, when 14 people were orbiting simultaneously. Before that, the record held for a quarter of a century – in March 1995, 13 people were in orbit at the same time.
The Chinese spacecraft Shenzhou-16, with a crew of three, was launched on the Long March-2 rocket at 4:31 Moscow time on May 30 and is en route to the Tiangong orbital station, where its three compatriots are already located.
Also, the crew of the Russian Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft, the American Crew Dragon (crew-6 mission), and the Axiom Space AX-2 special mission are currently aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
Formerly Cosmonaut Training Center (TsPK) im. Yu A. Gagarina knowledgeableBelarusian female cosmonaut Marina Vasilevskaya will join the main crew of the 21st visiting expedition to the ISS.