Shenzhou

Flight Details

Shenzhou 5

Mission Statistics:

• Date: 10/15/2003
• Flight Time: 000d 21h 30m
• Number of Orbits: 0014 orbits

Taikonaut Crew:

• Yang Liwei

EVA's:

• None

Payloads:

• None

Mission Highlights: Forty-two years after the pioneering first manned flight by Russia's Yuri Gagarin, the People's Republic of China became the third nation to put a man in space. Lt. Col. Yan Liwei orbited the Earth a total of 14 times over a 21-hour period. He was launched from the Gobi Desert by a Long March rocket and inside a Shenzhou spacecraft that was based on the Russian Soyuz. In mid-flight, Liwei ate a meal of specially-prepared Chinese foods and then took a nap before continuing to monitor his spacecraft's instruments. He landed almost a full day later in the Inner Mongolian grasslands of northern China, only 2.5 miles from the intended target. Upon his return, he was hailed as a new hero of his country.

Shenzhou 6

Mission Statistics:

• Date: 10/12/2005
• Flight Time: 004d 19h 32m
• Number of Orbits: 0077 orbits

Taikonaut Crew:

• Fei Junlong
• Nie Haisheng

EVA's:

• None

Payloads:

• None

Mission Highlights: China's second manned space mission was launched on October 12, 2005, with Taikonauts Junlong and Haisheng planning to stay in space for a total of 5 days. The flight was another step in China's plan to eventually establish a space station in Earth orbit and send taikonauts to the Moon. Junlong and Haishen landed in the pre-dawn hours of October 17 to a hero's welcome after a successful 5-day mission.

Shenzhou 7

Mission Statistics:

• Date: 09/25/2008
• Flight Time: 002d 20h __m
• Number of Orbits: 0045 orbits

Taikonaut Crew:

• Zhai Zhigang
• Liu Boming
• Jing Haipeng

EVA's:

• 00h 20m spacewalk

Payloads:

• None

Mission Highlights: China's third manned space mission was launched on September 25, 2008. Following a crew-size progression, this mission included three taikonauts, Zhigang, Boming, and Haipeng. The main purpose of the flight was to test the Chinese-made "Feitan" EVA suit. During the second day of the 3-day mission, Taikonaut Zhigang completed a 20-minute spacewalk outside the Shenzhou spacecraft. He was seen on Chinese television waving the red Chinese flag and waving to the camera. He also retrieved a small experiment package that had been attached to the outside of the spacecraft. Shenzhou 7 returned to Earth on September 28, after spending about 68 hours in orbit. Speculation is that the next Shenzhou mission will likely include orbital rendevous and docking maneuvers, echoing the progression followed by the United States and Russia during the early days of the Space Race in the 1960s.

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Last Updated: September 30, 2008