RETURN OF CHINA’S SHENZHOU-15 CREW, June 3, 2023, China, 6:32 pm ET

Update, June 3:  Bob Christy @OrbitalFocus has calculated the times of critical events, with landing at 2232 UTC, which is 6:32 pm EDT. China’s CGTN usually provides live coverage.

Now targeting Sunday, June 4 for Falcon 9’s launch of @NASA’s CRS-28 mission from LC-39A in Florida to allow more time for vehicle preparations and for weather conditions to improve → https://t.co/sV9VI89KrC

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) June 3, 2023

Update, June 2: China now confirms the crew will return on June 4 Beijing Time, but did not specify the time.  Christy and Andrew Jones (@AJ_FI) put the time at approximately 2230 UTC on June 3, which is 6:30 pm EDT June 3.

China’s Shenzhou-15 astronauts will return to Earth on June 4, having completed all their scheduled tasks.
The three astronauts handed over the control of the space station to the Shenzhou-16 crew on Friday https://t.co/15FpHSvIfQ pic.twitter.com/sWHSgPmbEt

— China Xinhua Sci-Tech (@XHscitech) June 2, 2023

Original Entry: China is getting ready to conduct a crew exchange on its Tiangong-3 space station with the Shenzhou-15 crew being replaced by Shenzhou-16.

As usual, China has not announced exact dates for the launch of Shenzhou-16 or the return of Shenzhou-15, but Bob Christy @OrbitalFocus has calculated a likely return date and time for Shenzhou-15 of June 3, 2023 at about 22:25 UTC (6:25 pm EDT).  China has said only that they will return in June.

Mission Update (revised)

Chinese Space Station

Nav warnings show Shenzhou 15 plans to land Jun 3 at ~22:25 UTC

Modelling puts it a few minutes later

Shenzhou 16 launch still computes as May 30, 01:31:15 UTC ±10s#China #Tiangong #CSS #taikonaut #Shenzhou15 #Shenzhou16 #news

— Orbital Focus (@OrbitalFocus) May 27, 2023

Christy calculates that the Shenzhou-16 crew will be launched on May 29 EDT (May 30 UTC).