Shenzhou (spacecraft)
Diagram of the post-Shenzhou 7 spacecraft
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| Country of origin | China |
|---|---|
| Applications | Manned spaceflight |
| Specifications | |
| Design life | 20 days |
| Launch mass | 7,840 kilograms (17,280 lb) |
| Dimensions | 9.25 by 2.8 metres (30.3 ft × 9.2 ft) |
| Volume | 14.00 cubic metres (494 cu ft) |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Production | |
| Status | In service |
| Built | 11 |
| Launched | 11 |
| Operational | 0 |
| Retired | 11 |
| First launch | Shenzhou 1, 1999 |
| Last launch | Shenzhou 11, 2016 |
Shenzhou (/ˈʃɛnˈdʒoʊ/ or /ʃɛnˈzuː/; Chinese: 神舟; pinyin: Shén Zhōu) is a spacecraft developed and operated by China to support its manned spaceflight program. The name is variously translated as "Divine Craft", "Divine Vessel of God", "Magic Boat" or similar and is also homophonous with an ancient name for China (written 神州; meaning "Divine State"). Its design resembles the Russian Soyuz spacecraft, but it is larger in size. The first launch was on November 19, 1999 and the first manned launch was on October 15, 2003. In March 2005, an asteroid was named 8256 Shenzhou in honour of the spacecraft.
China's first efforts at human spaceflight started in 1968 with a projected launch date of 1973. Although China launched an unmanned satellite in 1970 and has maintained an active unmanned program since, this attempt was canceled due to lack of funds and political interest.
The first unmanned flight of the spacecraft was launched on November 19, 1999, after which Project 921/1 was renamed Shenzhou, a name reportedly chosen by Jiang Zemin. A series of three additional unmanned flights ensued. It is expected that later craft will be designed to carry a crew of four instead of Soyuz's three, although physical limitations on astronaut size, as experienced with earlier incarnations of Soyuz, will likely apply.
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