Shenzhou is a series of spacecraft developed and operated by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) for human spaceflight. The Shenzhou spacecraft are part of China's manned spaceflight program, which began in the 1990s with the goal of developing the capability to send Chinese astronauts (taikonauts) into space.
The Shenzhou spacecraft consist of a capsule for the astronauts and a service module that provides propulsion, life support, and other systems. The spacecraft are launched into orbit using the Long March 2F rocket.
Examples of Shenzhou missions include:
- Shenzhou 1, China's first unmanned test flight of the Shenzhou spacecraft, launched in November 1999.
- Shenzhou 5, China's first manned spaceflight, launched in October 2003. The spacecraft carried astronaut Yang Liwei into orbit for 21 hours and 23 minutes.
- Shenzhou 9 and Shenzhou 10, launched in 2012 and 2013 respectively. These were the first manned spacecraft to dock with the Tiangong-1 space laboratory.
- Shenzhou 12, launched in 2020, which carried three taikonauts on a 30-day mission to the Tiangong-2 space station.
China's manned space program continues to evolve, with plans to build a larger, modular space station and to explore the moon and deeper space in the future.