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| title | chunk | source | category | tags | date_saved | instance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| China Manned Space Program | 1/5 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_Manned_Space_Program | reference | science, encyclopedia | 2026-05-05T12:41:04.205328+00:00 | kb-cron |
The China Manned Space Program (CMS; Chinese: 中国载人航天工程; pinyin: Zhōngguó Zàirén Hángtiān Gōngchéng), also known as Project 921 (Chinese: 九二一工程; pinyin: Jiǔèryī Gōngchéng) is a space program developed by the People's Republic of China and run by the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) under the Equipment Development Department of the Central Military Commission, designed to develop and enhance human spaceflight capabilities for China. As of 2026, China has conducted 16 crewed spaceflight launches, all using the Shenzhou spacecraft atop the Long March 2F rocket, the most recent being Shenzhou 21. Approved on 21 September 1992, Wang Yongzhi served as its first chief designer until 2006. The current chief designer is Zhou Jianping. CMSA is headed by the director of the Equipment Development Department, currently General Xu Xueqiang. CMS was split into "three steps":
Crewed spacecraft launch and return Rendezvous and docking with a space laboratory (with extravehicular activity capabilities) Long-term modular space station CMS achieved all three steps, with Shenzhou 5 in 2003, Shenzhou 9 docking with Tiangong-1 in 2012, and the assembly of the Tiangong space station by 2022. China thus became the third nation to achieve human spaceflight and operate a space station (after the Soviet Union/Russia and the United States), as well as the second nation to wholly operate a modular space station (after the Soviet Union/Russia's Mir). The CMSA has planned crewed lunar missions from 2030 under the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program, set to use the Mengzhou orbiter and Lanyue lander, atop the Long March 10.
== History ==
Formal research of China's human spaceflight began in 1968. An institute for medical and space engineering was founded in Beijing. It was the predecessor of The China Astronaut Research and Training Center, at which China's astronauts were trained in the following decades. Before that, in 1964, China launched a sounding rocket, carrying several small animals to an altitude of 70 km as an attempt to study the effects of spaceflight on living creatures. On 24 April 1970, China launched its first satellite, Dong Fang Hong I into orbit. In 1970, Qian Xuesen, the father of China's space program, introduced his human spaceflight project, which was later called Project 714. An early version of a crewed spacecraft called Shuguang I was under research. However, this program was cancelled due to a lack of funds and political interest. Instead, China decided in 1978 to pursue a method of sending astronauts into space using the more familiar FSW-derived ballistic reentry capsules. Two years later. in 1980, the Chinese government cancelled the program citing cost concerns. In order to gain relative experience, China launched and recovered its first recoverable satellite, Fanhui Shi Weixing, on 26 November 1975. The success of the mission demonstrated China's capabilities of controlled atmospheric entry. In 1986, the 863 Program was funded by the Chinese government. It was intended to stimulate the development of science and technologies in several key areas, in which space capabilities were included. The Chinese human spaceflight program, formally titled the China Manned Space Program, was formally approved on September 21, 1992, by the Standing Committee of Politburo as Project 921, with work beginning on 1 January 1993. The initial plan has three steps:
First Step: Launch a crewed spaceship with the aim of building up the fundamental capability in human space exploration and space experiments. Second Step: Launch a space laboratory tasked with making technological breakthroughs for extravehicular activities, space rendezvous and spacecraft docking procedures, as well as providing a solution for man-tended space utilization on a certain scale and short-term basis. Third Step: Establish a Space Station with the aim of providing a solution for human-tended -space utilization on a larger scale and longer-term basis. The program was led by a chief commander and a chief designer, who handled administrative and technical issues respectively. A joint meeting between these two was responsible for making decisions on important issues during the implementation of the project. The first chief designer of the program was Wang Yongzhi. A new organization, China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) under the Equipment Development Department of the Central Military Commission, was founded for the administration of the program. In 1994, China signed a cooperation agreement with Russia to purchase aerospace technologies. In 1995, a deal was signed between the two countries for the transfer of Russian Soyuz spacecraft technology to China. Included in the agreement were schedules for astronaut training, provision of Soyuz capsules, life support systems, docking systems, and space suits. In 1996, two Chinese astronauts, Wu Jie and Li Qinglong, began training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Russia. After training, these men returned to China and proceeded to train other Chinese astronauts at sites near Beijing and Jiuquan. The hardware and know-how purchased from Russia led to modifications of the original Step One spacecraft, later known called Shenzhou, roughly translated as "divine vessel". New launch facilities were built at the Jiuquan launch site in Inner Mongolia, and in the spring of 1998, a mock-up of the Long March 2F launch vehicle with Shenzhou spacecraft was rolled out for integration and facility tests.
== Development ==
=== First Step ===