Chinese crewed capsules
China became the third nation to launch and retrieve a human being. This occurred in 2003 onboard the Shenzhou spacecraft launched on top of a Long March 2F rocket. China has conducted several missions to LEO and to their space station. At the moment the country is working towards a new generation crewed capsule which is expected to be able to fly lunar missions.
Shuguang
Operator: CNSA
Mission: Bring astronauts to LEO
First flight: none
Status: Cancelled
The goal of the Shuguang mission was to demonstrate China's technological and scientific capabilities in space exploration, as well as to conduct scientific experiments and observations. The project was also seen as a way to compete with the Soviet Union and the United States, who were engaged in a space race for the Moon at the time.
The development of the capsule involved several challenges, such as designing a reentry vehicle, a life support system, a docking mechanism, and a launch escape system. The project also required the construction of a new space centre at Xichang in the Sichuan province, which was farther from the border with the Soviet Union and therefore safer.
However, the project faced many political and financial difficulties, especially during the Cultural Revolution, which disrupted the scientific and industrial sectors of China. Several leading scientists and engineers involved in the project were denounced or purged, and the astronaut training program was dissolved. The project was officially cancelled on May 13, 1972, after only one year of development.
Shuguang render made by Mark Wade of astronautix.com
Manned capsule 1978
Operator: China
Mission: Bring astronauts to LEO
First flight: none
Status: Cancelled
The Chinese Manned Capsule 1978 was a project that aimed to send a human into orbit and to develop a space station. It was announced in February 1978 by the Chinese Space Agency, and confirmed by its head, Jen Hsin-Min, in November of the same year. However, official Chinese histories show no approved Chinese manned program between 1975 and 1985, so the project may have been a disinformation exercise or a result of political infighting. The goal of the mission was to demonstrate China's capability of human spaceflight and to explore the potential of space applications. The development of the capsule was based on the FSW series of photo-reconnaissance satellites, which had a mass of 2500 kg and a re-entry vehicle that could accommodate one person. The capsule was supposed to be launched by the Long March 2F rocket, which was also used for later Shenzhou missions. The project was cancelled in December 1980, when Wang Zhuanshan, the Secretary General of the New China Space Research Society and Chief Engineer of the Space Centre of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, announced that Chinese manned flight was being postponed because of its cost. China p its economic development over its space ambitions at that time. The project was revived in 1986 as Project 921, which eventually led to the successful launch of Shenzhou 5 in 2003, making China the third country to achieve human spaceflight independently.
Shenzhou
Operator: CNSA
Mission: Bring astronauts to LEO
First flight: 1999 (uncrewed), 2003 (crewed)
Status: Active
The Chinese Shenzhou capsule is in many aspects, quite similar to the Soyuz capsule. Not only in the design of the capsule but also the parachute system seems to be heavily influenced by the Soyuz. At 10 km two pilot chutes remove the back thermal cover, followed by the deployment of the drogue parachute. For a safe landing, it uses a single main parachute. The main parachute is of the Ringsail type, has an area of 1200 square meters and a mass of 90 kg. Interesting about the Shenzhou recovery system is that the capsule has a backup main parachute that is about one-third the area of the main parachute. This system ensures a safe but rough landing in case of a main parachute failure. The parachutes of Shenzhou are deployed using an airbag system. The airbag fills up space within the storage compartment, pushing out the parachutes.
Shenzhou comming back for landing
Mengzhou
Operator: CNSA
Mission: Bring astronauts to LEO and beyond
First flight: 2020
Status: In development
The New Chinese crewed capsule landing after the first flight
In May 2020 China launched its latest crewed space capsule on top of their new Long March 5B rocket. The capsule performed a mission much like the NASA Orion EFT-1, flight demonstrating the capsule's ability to change its orbit and perform a high-velocity re-entry. Preliminary data states the capsule re-entered with about 9 km/s, which would be comparable to a deep space crewed mission. Not much is known about the capsule itself except for the pictures shared after the flight. It is known that the capsule uses a cluster of three parachutes combined with an airbag system for a safe landing. This by itself is quite a change from the earlier Shenzhou capsules.
In February 2024 China announced the new name for the capsule: Mengzhou or Dream Vessel. The lander will have the name: Embracing the Moon
