Seven helicopters to recover Shenzhou IX spacecraft

Cui Xiaojun, deputy commander of the main landing field of the Shenzhou IX spacecraft, noted on June 27, 2012 that the army aviation troop unit has completed all the preparations for the recovery of the Shenzhou IX spacecraft, and seven helicopters whose captains are all army aviation special grade pilots have entered a military airport in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, according to Xinhua.

The seven helicopters include one command aircraft, one communication aircraft, one search and rescue aircraft, one medical monitoring and support aircraft and three medical aircraft.

All the seven helicopters are equipped with China's self-developed BeiDou Navigation and Positioning System and their dynamic information will be transmitted to the Beijing Aerospace Control Center (BACC) in real time.

Cui Xiaojun said compared with the recovery of the Shenzhou VII, the recovery of the Shenzhou IX involves an additional communication helicopter which is equipped with such advanced communication equipment as airborne optical nacelle, airborne direction-finding and positioning system, ultrashort-wave broadband communication system and airborne relay satellite communication system, and the air search and rescue element will be able to receive the signals sent by the spacecraft during its return to the ground and transmit stable and high-resolution images in real time.

The medical monitoring and support helicopter will serve as a "nurse" aircraft where the astronauts will change their clothes, have physical examination and rest. The staff members will also monitor and record the physiological parameters of the astronauts inside the aircraft.