The Shenzhou spacecraft ferry crews to the Tiangong station. Since the first crewed flight (Shenzhou-5, Yang Liwei 杨利伟, 2003), China has, according to CMSA, regularly flown crews of usually three for roughly six-month stays.
As of: 01 Jun 2026.
ongoingCrewed missions · ongoing series
Shenzhou
神舟
As of: 01/06/2026
Source/Licence: placeholder image – to be cleared
Overview
Quick facts
- Status
- ongoing
- Launch vehicle
- Long March 2F (CZ-2F)
- Launch site
- Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center (JSLC)
- Operator
- CMSA
Mission goals
- Regular crew rotation to the Tiangong station
- Testing and maintaining long-duration spaceflight capability
- Scientific experiments under microgravity during station stays
Timeline / milestones
- October 2003Shenzhou-5 — China's first crewed spaceflight (Yang Liwei)
- 2008Shenzhou-7 — China's first spacewalk (EVA)
- since 2021Ongoing roughly six-monthly crew rotation to the Tiangong station
Scientific results / significance
Shenzhou has been the backbone of China's human spaceflight program since 2003. It has evolved from a one-off first flight into an established, routine crew-transport service that makes continuous operation of the Tiangong station possible in the first place.
Video
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