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Mengzhou (spacecraft)
The Mengzhou (Chinese: 梦舟; pinyin: mèng zhōu; lit. 'Dream Vessel'), formerly known as the Next-Generation Crewed Spacecraft, is a crewed reusable spacecraft, with a seven-person capacity, in development by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). The spacecraft prototype underwent its first uncrewed test flight on 5 May 2020.
The crew carrier is designed to conduct lunar exploration in conjunction with China's future lunar descent spacecraft, the Lanyue lander, by the end of the 2020s. A low-earth orbit (LEO) version of the spacecraft intended to ferry astronauts to the Tiangong space station is also under development; this LEO version will serve as a modern replacement for the existing Shenzhou spacecraft. The new spacecraft is expected to attain crewed flight capability around 2027–2028.
On the Chinese Lantern Festival (24 February 2024), a traditional holiday that celebrates family reunions and ancestral worship, China unveiled the official names of its new vehicles for its future crewed lunar exploration missions. The crewed spacecraft is called Mengzhou, meaning 'dream vessel', which indicates the role of the spacecraft in realizing the dream of landing on the Moon and exploring new frontiers in space. The crewed lunar lander is named Lanyue (揽月; lǎn yuè), meaning 'embracing the Moon', which signifies China's aspiration and vision to explore the lunar frontier and establish a permanent presence there.
Intended to replace the Shenzhou spacecraft, the new vehicle is larger and lunar-capable. It consists of two modules: a crew module that returns to Earth, and an expendable service module to provide propulsion, power and life support for the crew module while in space. It is capable of carrying six astronauts, or three astronauts and 500 kg (1,100 lb) of cargo. The new crew module is partially reusable with its detachable heat shields, while the spacecraft as a whole features a modular design that allows it to be constructed to meet different mission demands. With its propulsion and power module, the crew spacecraft measures nearly 8.8 metres (29 ft) long. It weighs around 21,600 kg (47,600 lb) fully loaded with equipment and propellant, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). Lunar missions undertaken by the Mengzhou spacecraft and the Lanyue lander are planned by 2030.
The returned test vehicle was temporarily displayed at the Zhuhai Airshow in 2021.
On 29 October 2024, CMSA announced that a series of major ground tests have been completed on the spacecraft, including an integrated airdrop test.
The maiden flight of the Long March 7 launched from the Wenchang Space Launch Site on 25 June 2016 at 12:00 UTC, carrying a scaled prototype of Mengzhou known as the multipurpose spacecraft scale return capsule. The capsule returned successfully, landing in the desert of Mongolia on 26 June 2016 at 07:41 UTC.
The Long March 5B test flight on 5 May 2020 at 10:00 UTC from Wenchang carried two payloads: a Mengzhou prototype as the primary payload and a demonstration flexible inflatable cargo re-entry capsule as a secondary payload. The Mengzhou prototype evaluated avionics, orbital performance, heat shielding, parachute deployment, and a cushioned airbag landing system, successfully re-entering on 8 May 2020 at 05:49 UTC in northwestern China. The secondary payload, intended to test a flexible heat shield for cargo return, was scheduled to re-enter on 6 May 2020 but malfunctioned during descent.
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Mengzhou (spacecraft)
The Mengzhou (Chinese: 梦舟; pinyin: mèng zhōu; lit. 'Dream Vessel'), formerly known as the Next-Generation Crewed Spacecraft, is a crewed reusable spacecraft, with a seven-person capacity, in development by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). The spacecraft prototype underwent its first uncrewed test flight on 5 May 2020.
The crew carrier is designed to conduct lunar exploration in conjunction with China's future lunar descent spacecraft, the Lanyue lander, by the end of the 2020s. A low-earth orbit (LEO) version of the spacecraft intended to ferry astronauts to the Tiangong space station is also under development; this LEO version will serve as a modern replacement for the existing Shenzhou spacecraft. The new spacecraft is expected to attain crewed flight capability around 2027–2028.
On the Chinese Lantern Festival (24 February 2024), a traditional holiday that celebrates family reunions and ancestral worship, China unveiled the official names of its new vehicles for its future crewed lunar exploration missions. The crewed spacecraft is called Mengzhou, meaning 'dream vessel', which indicates the role of the spacecraft in realizing the dream of landing on the Moon and exploring new frontiers in space. The crewed lunar lander is named Lanyue (揽月; lǎn yuè), meaning 'embracing the Moon', which signifies China's aspiration and vision to explore the lunar frontier and establish a permanent presence there.
Intended to replace the Shenzhou spacecraft, the new vehicle is larger and lunar-capable. It consists of two modules: a crew module that returns to Earth, and an expendable service module to provide propulsion, power and life support for the crew module while in space. It is capable of carrying six astronauts, or three astronauts and 500 kg (1,100 lb) of cargo. The new crew module is partially reusable with its detachable heat shields, while the spacecraft as a whole features a modular design that allows it to be constructed to meet different mission demands. With its propulsion and power module, the crew spacecraft measures nearly 8.8 metres (29 ft) long. It weighs around 21,600 kg (47,600 lb) fully loaded with equipment and propellant, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). Lunar missions undertaken by the Mengzhou spacecraft and the Lanyue lander are planned by 2030.
The returned test vehicle was temporarily displayed at the Zhuhai Airshow in 2021.
On 29 October 2024, CMSA announced that a series of major ground tests have been completed on the spacecraft, including an integrated airdrop test.
The maiden flight of the Long March 7 launched from the Wenchang Space Launch Site on 25 June 2016 at 12:00 UTC, carrying a scaled prototype of Mengzhou known as the multipurpose spacecraft scale return capsule. The capsule returned successfully, landing in the desert of Mongolia on 26 June 2016 at 07:41 UTC.
The Long March 5B test flight on 5 May 2020 at 10:00 UTC from Wenchang carried two payloads: a Mengzhou prototype as the primary payload and a demonstration flexible inflatable cargo re-entry capsule as a secondary payload. The Mengzhou prototype evaluated avionics, orbital performance, heat shielding, parachute deployment, and a cushioned airbag landing system, successfully re-entering on 8 May 2020 at 05:49 UTC in northwestern China. The secondary payload, intended to test a flexible heat shield for cargo return, was scheduled to re-enter on 6 May 2020 but malfunctioned during descent.