Capability: Chinese crewed spaceflight program.
Maiden Flight: 1999-11-19
Flight Life: 200 day design life.
Crew Capacity: 3
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.
History
Shenzhou is a spacecraft used to support the Chinese manned spaceflight program. Its design resembles the Russian Soyuz spacecraft, but it is larger in size and all-new in construction. The first launch was on November 19, 1999 and the first manned launch was on October 15, 2003.
The Shenzhou spacecraft resembles the Soyuz, although it is longer, with a larger habitable volume. It features a powered service module like the Soyuz, and prior to Shenzhou 8 its orbital module was capable of autonomous flight.
The aft service module contains life support and other equipment required for the functioning of Shenzhou.
Agency
China National Space Administration
Type: Government
The China National Space Administration (CNSA) is the national space agency of the People’s Republic of China. It is responsible for the national space program and for planning and development of space activities. CNSA and China Aerospace Corporation (CASC) assumed the authority over space development efforts previously held by the Ministry of Aerospace Industry. The CNSA has many launch sites around China with their orbital sites located in Jiuquan, Xichang, Taiyuan and Wenchang.
