Shenzhou 4
| Mission type | Test flight |
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | 2002-061A |
| SATCAT no. | 27630 |
| Mission duration | 6 days 18 hours 36 minutes |
| Orbits completed | 108 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | Shenzhou |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | December 29, 2002, 16:40 UTC |
| Rocket | Chang Zheng 2F |
| Launch site | Jiuquan LA-4/SLS-1 |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | January 5, 2003, 11:16 UTC |
| Landing site |
Inner Mongolia 40°31′N 111°23′E / 40.517°N 111.383°E |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
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Shenzhou missions
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Shenzhou 4 (Chinese: 神舟四号) launched on December 29, 2002, was the fourth unmanned launch of the Chinese Shenzhou spacecraft. Two dummy astronauts were used to test the life support systems. (A live astronaut was not used until Shenzhou 5 on October 15, 2003.)
The spacecraft was equipped for a manned flight, even featuring a sleeping bag, food, and medication. The windows were constructed of a new material that was designed to stay clear even after reentry to allow an astronaut to confirm that the parachutes have deployed properly. It was said that the spacecraft flown on Shenzhou 4 had no major differences to that used on Shenzhou 5. It flew with the ability for manual control and emergency landing, systems needed for a manned flight. A week before the launch, astronauts trained in the spacecraft to familiarise themselves with its systems.
Initially the spacecraft was in a 198 kilometres (123 mi) by 331 kilometres (206 mi) orbit inclined at 42.4°. This was raised to 330 kilometres (210 mi) by 337 kilometres (209 mi) at 23:35 UTC on December 29, 2002. On January 4 and January 5, 2003 several smaller manoeuvres were thought to have taken place. The rate of orbital decay seemed higher after January 1, suggesting that the orbital module's solar panels may have been deployed for the first time. Compared to Shenzhou 3 the orbital period of Shenzhou 4 was much more tightly bounded with smaller manoeuvres.
The launch of Shenzhou 4 was watched by officials including Chairman of the National People's Congress Li Peng; Vice Premier and member of the Politburo Standing Committee Wu Bangguo; Jia Qinglin, also a member of the Standing Committee; Cao Gangchuan, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission; Song Jian, vice-chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference; and Li Jinai, head of the General Armament Department of the People's Liberation Army.
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