Finding the return capsule as soon as possible in the Gobi, this communication support team is indispensable. Team | Communication | Communication Support
In the return search mission of the Shenzhou spacecraft, timely and stable communication is an important factor in determining whether the search and rescue team can find the return capsule and rescue astronauts in a timely manner. At the Dongfeng landing site, there is a team distributed among professional search and rescue forces in the air and on the ground, providing communication support for astronaut search and rescue decision-making and command.
"The fourth landing forecast for Beijing has been issued, Xiongying. Xiongying understands that the longitude of the landing point is 100 degrees and 05 minutes east longitude."
This is a comprehensive exercise for the return of the Shenzhou-15 spacecraft to the entire system. The communication team of the aerial detachment has just received the final landing point forecast, and they need to land and complete the first communication link construction of the return module landing point in the shortest possible time. They need to transmit images and voice to Beijing as soon as possible, so that the people of the whole country can see the health status of the astronauts.
CCTV reporter Shen Ling: During the search process of the aircraft, communication personnel need to operate equipment to locate the search and rescue carrier in real time, ensuring communication between the helicopter and the Beijing Command Center. After the plane lands, they need to carry a portable communication station weighing about 60 kilograms, step on the soft sand of the Gobi Desert, and run to the designated location around the return capsule to establish satellite communication. The entire process must be controlled within 10 minutes, which requires the operational level and speed of our communication personnel.
Song Chao, a communication technician of the space search and rescue team at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center: We usually adopt a "one-on-one", "master leads apprentice", and "old leads new" approach to improve personnel's job skills, focusing on strengthening emergency response under complex conditions. Targeted emergency response drills, anti dizziness training, descent training, and physical fitness enhancement training are carried out to ensure that all our team members can depart at any time and complete tasks efficiently in all areas.
The landing site of Dongfeng is located deep in the northwest Gobi Desert, which is an unmanned area of about 13000 square kilometers without signal coverage. It is distributed with more than ten typical terrains and landforms such as Gobi, desert, saline alkali land, and water area, making it difficult to search and covering a wide range. In order to facilitate rapid maneuvering, efficient search, and safe arrival of the search and rescue team, the fiber optic network has been laid and officially put into use at the Dongfeng landing site.
Wang Guoliang, the communication operator of the space search and rescue team at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center: Previously, we mainly relied on satellite communication vehicles to achieve internal scheduling and communication within the ground team. Now that we have the ground fiber optic network, our ground team can achieve full communication coverage from the standby point to the theoretical landing point throughout the entire mobile search process, with better communication quality and more stable signals.
In this Shenzhou-15 mission, the communication team is still adding optical equipment, upgrading and transforming communication equipment, improving the plan, optimizing the main and auxiliary communication support modes, selecting the best signals, and using multiple angles and methods to ensure that communication is flawless around the theoretical landing point of the return module.
Bian Hancheng, Deputy Chief Designer of the Landing Site System for China's Manned Space Engineering: In the past, we prepared for a search and rescue mission, which took 60 days and 18 exercises. Now, with two missions, we only need 25 days to prepare and 6 exercises.
