Shenzhou ("Divine Vessel") is China's crewed spacecraft developed by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) to support human spaceflight missions. It is central to China's efforts to establish a sustained human presence in space. The spacecraft, designed to carry astronauts (taikonauts) to low Earth orbit, has been used for missions to China's Tiangong space stations and other crewed spaceflight projects.
First launched in 1999, Shenzhou-1 was an uncrewed test flight. In 2003, Shenzhou-5 carried China’s first astronaut, Yang Liwei, into space, making China the third country to independently send humans into orbit. The Shenzhou spacecraft is modeled on Russia’s Soyuz but is larger and more advanced, consisting of three modules: an orbital module, a re-entry capsule, and a service module.
Shenzhou spacecraft have played a vital role in China's space program, supporting crewed missions to space laboratories and, most recently, the Tiangong space station, contributing to China's rapidly advancing space capabilities.
