Shenzhou (spacecraft)
Class of crewed spacecraft from China / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Shenzhou (Chinese: 神舟; pinyin: Shénzhōu, /ˈʃɛnˈdʒoʊ/;[2] see § Etymology) is a spacecraft developed and operated by China to support its crewed spaceflight program, China Manned Space Program. Its design resembles the Russian Soyuz spacecraft, but it is larger in size. The first launch was on 19 November 1999 and the first crewed launch was on 15 October 2003. In March 2005, an asteroid was named 8256 Shenzhou in honour of the spacecraft.
Manufacturer | CAST |
---|---|
Country of origin | China |
Operator | CMSA |
Applications | Crewed spaceflight |
Specifications | |
Launch mass | 8100 kg[1] |
Crew capacity | 3 |
Dimensions | 9.25 x 2.8 m |
Volume | 14.8 m3[1] habitable: 7.0 m3 |
Regime | Low Earth |
Design life | Up to 183 days (docked at the Tiangong space station) |
Production | |
Status | In service |
On order | 1 |
Built | 18 |
Launched | 18 |
Operational | 2 |
Failed | 0 |
Maiden launch | Shenzhou 1: 19 November 1999 (uncrewed) Shenzhou 5: 15 October 2003 (crewed) |
Last launch | Active Shenzhou 18: 25 April 2024 (crewed) |
The Shenzhou spacecraft is slated to be replaced in the late 2020s by a next-generation crewed spacecraft named Mengzhou, currently under development. The new spacecraft has a configuration more similar to the Apollo program's command and service module, which is different from the configuration of the Shenzhou spacecraft.[3]