The pressure suits worn by the PRC astronauts inside the Shenzhou spacecraft during the lift-off and landing are believed to be a Chinese copy of the Russian Sokol-KV2 (Cокол: Falcon) manufactured by NPP Zvezda. The PRC obtained examples of the Sokol-KV2 in the mid-1990s and used it as a pattern to develop its own pressure suit for the Shenzhou flight missions.

The pressure suit weights about 10kg. It consists of an inner pressure layer of rubberised kapron and an outer layer of white nylon canvas. The gloves are integrated with the suit but boots are removable. The suit has adjustment straps on the arms, legs, chest and abdomen. The pressure of the suit is regulated by the pressure relief valve located at the centre of the chest. A pressure gauge and a wrist watch are worn on the left arm.

The polycarbonate visor can open on hinges mounted near the ears and seals with an anodised aluminium clavicle flange when closed; the hood or 'soft helmet' folds when the visor is raised. When wearing the suit on the ground, the suit is ventilated via a handheld electric blower, which is connected to the suit via a connector located on the left abdomen of the suit. Electrical cables are mounted on the right abdomen of the suit.

The pressure suit must be worn by the astronaut during the lift-off and landing. In case of an emergency, the suit provides vital oxygen supply and normal pressure for the astronaut. During the Shenzhou 5 flight mission, the astronaut Yang Liwei wore the pressure suit throughout his 21 hours of flight. During the Shenzhou 6 mission, the two astronauts took off their pressure suits after the spacecraft entered the orbit, and only wore blue colour shirts and trousers while conducting experiments in the orbital module.

Last updated: 26 September 2008