Shenzhou 6 was the second human spaceflight of the Chinese space program, launched on October 12, 2005, on a Long March 2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The Shenzhou spacecraft carried a crew of Fèi Jùnlóng (费俊龙) and Niè Hǎishèng (聂海胜) for five days in low Earth orbit. It launched three days before the second anniversary of China's first human spaceflight, Shenzhou 5.
(L-R) Jùnlóng and HǎishèngShenzhou missions← Shenzhou 5Shenzhou 7 →
Nie Haisheng exits the re-entry capsule of Shenzhou 6 at the main landing field in Central Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
Yuanwang 2 in Auckland, New Zealand on October 27, 2005. The ship was resupplying after being at sea to support the flight
The space program of the People's Republic of China is about the activities in outer space conducted and directed by the People's Republic of China. The roots of the Chinese space program trace back to the 1950s, when, with the help of the newly allied Soviet Union, China began development of its first ballistic missile and rocket programs in response to the perceived American threats. Driven by the successes of Soviet Sputnik 1 and American Explorer 1 satellite launches in 1957 and 1958 respectively, China would launch its first satellite, Dong Fang Hong 1 in April 1970 aboard a Long March 1 rocket, making it the fifth nation to place a satellite in orbit.
Qian Xuesen, the forefather of Chinese space program
Mao Zedong inspecting a T-7M rocket after its successful launch
Dongfeng-2 missile
Dong Fang Hong I - Chinese first satellite (1970)