Shenzhou is a spacecraft developed and operated by China to support its crewed spaceflight program, China Manned Space Program. Its design resembles the Russian Soyuz spacecraft, but it is larger in size. The first launch was on 19 November 1999 and the first crewed launch was on 15 October 2003. In March 2005, an asteroid was named 8256 Shenzhou in honour of the spacecraft.
Shenzhou 5's reentry module
Shenzhou 14 spacecraft undergoing tests prior to launch
Launch of Shenzhou 13 on a Long March 2F rocket
China Manned Space Program
The China Manned Space Program, also known as Project 921 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. It was approved on 21 September 1992 and has been in operation ever since. The CMS commander and director are currently Xu Xueqiang and Zhou Jianping respectively; the latter has held this position since 2006, after taking over from Wang Yongzhi, who served as the first director from 1992 to 2006.
Mockup of FSW satellite
Launch pad dedicated to CMS launches in Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center
Shenzhou 5 return capsule and space suit displayed in the National Museum of China.
Rendering of Tianzhou-1 cargo spacecraft (left) and Tiangong-2 Space Laboratory (right) assembly in space