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LIVE: Launch of China's Shenzhou-21 Manned Spacecraft

China launches its Shenzhou-21 crewed spaceship on Oct. 31 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, sending astronauts Zhang Lu, Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang to China's Tiangong spac...

Shenzhou 21

Circle Image

Overview

Destination: Low Earth Orbit
Mission: Human Exploration

Low Earth Orbit Launch Area 91 (SLS-1 / 921) Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Tenth crewed flight to the Chinese space station.

Updates

Cosmic_Penguin • Oct. 31, 2025, 4:06 p.m.

Launch success.


Cosmic_Penguin • Oct. 31, 2025, 3:45 p.m.

Liftoff.


LL2 • Oct. 31, 2025, 3:40 p.m.

Official Webcast by CGTN has started


Cosmic_Penguin • Oct. 31, 2025, 3:35 p.m.

Tweaked T-0.


LL2 • Oct. 31, 2025, 3:30 p.m.

Official Webcast by CGTN has started


Long March 2F/G

Family:
Configuration: F/G

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. The Long March 2F/G version includes longer boosters for increased lift capability, among other improvements.

Specifications
  • Stages
    2
  • Length
    62.0 m
  • Diameter
    3.35 m
  • Fairing Diameter
  • Launch Mass
    464.0 T
  • Thrust
Family
  • Name
    Long March 2F/G
  • Family
  • Variant
    F/G
  • Alias
  • Full Name
    Long March 2F/G
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
  • Low Earth Orbit
    8399.0 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
  • Direct Geostationary
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity

Shenzhou 21


Active Human Rated Crew On-board: 3 Crew Capacity: 3
Destination: Tiangong space station
Serial Number: 21

Spacecraft used to launch 3 astronauts on the 10th crewed mission to the Chinese Space Station.

Shenzhou Details

Crew


Zhang Lu

Commander - configurations.Country.None - ( CNSA )

Status: Active

Date of Birth: Nov. 1, 1976
Age: 49

Wu Fei

Operator - configurations.Country.None - ( CNSA )

Status: Active

Date of Birth: Oct. 1, 1993
Age: 32

Zhang Hongzhang

Operator - configurations.Country.None - ( CNSA )

Status: Active

Date of Birth: April 1, 1986
Age: 40

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation

(CASC)

Chairman & President: Lei Fanpei Founded: 1999 Successes: 593 Failures: 15 Pending: 7

Agency Type:

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

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Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Launch Area 91 (SLS-1 / 921)


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Smart Dragon 3
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21 hours, 48 minutes ago
OSE HS-01 & 02
Haiyang offshore launch location - Haiyang Oriental Spaceport

2 hyper-spectral Earth observation satellites from Chinese company STAR.VISION. Both satellites are built in corporation with foreign customers: *…


Falcon 9
Success
1 day, 7 hours ago
Starlink Group 17-53
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 24 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Long March 8A
Success
1 day, 15 hours ago
SatNet LEO Group 23
Commercial LC-1 - Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China

A batch of 9 Low Earth Orbit communication satellites for the Chinese state owned SatNet constellation operated by the China Satellite Network Group.…


Falcon 9
Success
4 days, 21 hours ago
Starlink Group 17-52
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 24 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Falcon 9
Success
6 days, 17 hours ago
NROL-95
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

Classified payload for the US National Reconnaissance Office.


Long March 6A
Success
6 days, 23 hours ago
TJSW-27A & B
Launch Complex 9A - Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

2 Chinese classified satellites claimed to be for communication technology test purposes. Actual mission not known.


Long March 7A
Success
1 week ago
Tianlian 3-01
201 - Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China

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Falcon 9
Success
1 week, 4 days ago
Starlink Group 17-51
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 24 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Starship
Success
1 week, 5 days ago
Flight 13
Orbital Launch Pad 2 - SpaceX Starbase, TX, USA

13th test flight of the two-stage Starship launch vehicle. Second flight of Starship V3. For the first time, Starship will carry 20 V3 Starlink sa…