Shenzhou-2

Overview

Destination: Low Earth Orbit
Mission: Human Exploration

Low Earth Orbit Launch Area 4 (SLS-1 / 921) Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Second test flight of the Shenzhou spacecraft, without crew on board. A monkey, a dog, and a rabbit were carried in a test of the spaceship's life support systems. There were also 64 different scientific payloads, including a microgravity crystallography experiment; animal species including six mice, small aquatic and terrestrial organisms; cosmic ray and particle detectors and gamma-ray burst detectors. To test the radio transmitting systems taped messages were broadcast from the spacecraft. During return to Earth the parachutes failed to open upon re-entry, which resulted in a hard landing of the descent capsule.

Long March 2F

Family: Long March 2
Configuration: F

The Long March 2F is a Chinese orbital carrier rocket, part of the Long March 2 rocket family. Designed to launch the crewed Shenzhou spacecraft, the Long March 2F is a human-rated two-stage version of the Long March 2E rocket, which in turn was based on the Long March 2C launch vehicle. It is launched from complex SLS at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.

Specifications
  • Stages
    2
  • Length
    62.0 m
  • Diameter
    3.35 m
  • Fairing Diameter
    3.35 m
  • Launch Mass
    464 T
  • Thrust
    5985 kN
Family
  • Name
    Long March 2F
  • Family
    Long March 2
  • Variant
    F
  • Alias
  • Full Name
    Long March 2F
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
  • Low Earth Orbit
    8400 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
  • Direct Geostationary
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity

Shenzhou 2


Active Human Rated Unmanned Crew Capacity: 3
Destination: Low Earth Orbit
Serial Number: 2

Inside the reentry capsule were a monkey, a dog and a rabbit in a test of the spaceship's life support systems. The reentry module separated from the rest of the spacecraft after just over seven days in orbit, with the orbital module staying in orbit for another 220 days.

Shenzhou Details

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation

Circle Image
Chairman & President: Lei Fanpei Founded: 1999 Successes: 433 Failures: 13 Pending: 12

Agency Type: Government

The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) is the main contractor for the Chinese space program. It is state-owned and has a number of subordinate entities which design, develop and manufacture a range of spacecraft, launch vehicles, strategic and tactical missile systems, and ground equipment. It was officially established in July 1999 as part of a Chinese government reform drive, having previously been one part of the former China Aerospace Corporation. Various incarnations of the program date back to 1956.

INFO WIKI

Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Launch Area 4 (SLS-1 / 921)


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Success
23 hours, 45 minutes ago
Progress MS-25 (86P)
31/6 - Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan

Progress resupply mission to the International Space Station.


Falcon 9
Success
4 days, 4 hours ago
Starlink Group 6-30
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A batch of 23 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Soyuz 2.1b
Success
6 days, 12 hours ago
Razdan No. 1?
43/4 (43R) - Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation

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Long March 2D/YZ-3
Success
1 week, 1 day ago
3 x SatNet test satellites
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Officially described as "Satellite-Internet Technology Demonstration Satellite(s)" built by Chinese Academy of Sciences. Probable 3 (?) test satellit…


Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 3 days ago
Starlink Group 6-29
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral, FL, USA

A batch of 23 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Chollima-1
Success
1 week, 3 days ago
Malligyong-1c
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Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 4 days ago
Starlink Group 7-7
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 22 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Starship
Partial Failure
1 week, 6 days ago
Integrated Flight Test 2
Orbital Launch Mount A - SpaceX Starbase, TX, USA

Second test flight of the two-stage Starship launch vehicle. The booster is expected to separate 170 seconds into flight and return to land approxima…


Falcon 9
Success
2 weeks ago
Starlink Group 6-28
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral, FL, USA

A batch of 23 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Long March 2C/YZ-1S
Success
2 weeks, 2 days ago
Haiyang 3-01
Launch Area 4 (SLS-2 / 603) - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Next generation Chinese ocean color measurements satellite to study ocean ecology and effects on biological cycles and the climate.