Shenzhou

Shenzhou is a family of crewed spacecraft developed by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) as part of the Chinese human spaceflight program. Initiated in the 1990s, the program aims to provide autonomous access to space and capabilities for long-duration missions. Since its first crewed mission in 2003, Shenzhou has demonstrated China’s growing human spaceflight capabilities, including the country’s first spacewalk in 2008.

The spacecraft are launched on Long March 2F rockets from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert and are designed to dock with space stations and other orbital targets. The Shenzhou design draws on the Russian Soyuz concept but uses Chinese systems. Each craft consists of three modules: a reentry capsule for return to Earth, a service module for propulsion and power, and an orbital module that can provide living space and facilitate docking during modular space station operations.

Since 2012, Shenzhou has supported docking flights with orbital laboratories Tiangong 1 and, later, the Tianhe core module of the Chinese Space Station. Notable missions include Shenzhou 5 (2003), the first Chinese manned mission; Shenzhou 7 (2008), China’s first spacewalk; and Shenzhou 9 and 10 (2012–2013), which docked with Tiangong. In the 2020s, the program has supported crewed missions to the Tianhe module, enabling multiple longer-duration stays and ongoing space station operations.

The name Shenzhou, often translated as Divine Land or Divine Vessel, is a poetic term for China and is used for the spacecraft program to reflect national heritage and aspirations.

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