ShenZhou 2 Unmanned Experimental Spaceflight Mission

Last updated: 25 May 2007

ShenZhou 2 was the second unmanned flight mission in China’s manned space programme. Unlike the previous ShenZhou mission launched in 1999, the ShenZhou 2 used an all-up flight model of the spacecraft, with a functioning orbit module. The spaceship was also a sophisticated space science laboratory, with a total of 64 science experiment payloads, including 15 in the re-entry module, 12 in the orbital module and 37 on the forward external pallet. These included a micro-gravity crystal growing device, life sciences experiments with 19 species of animals and plants, cosmic ray and particle detectors, and China's first gamma ray burst detectors.

The whole ShenZhou 2  mission was proven to be trouble-prone. On 31 December 2000, few days before the scheduled launch, an abnormal operation of the launch tower caused the CZ-2 launch vehicle being damaged. Serious doubt as whether the launch vehicle was still fit for the mission was raised. An investigation team headed by the chief director and chief designer of the CZ-2F launch vehicle from 1st Space Academy (China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, CALT) was sent to the launch site for detailed examinations and assessments. Three days later it was concluded that the damage was minimal and the launch could go ahead as scheduled.

The CZ-2F launch vehicle carrying the ShenZhou 2 spacecraft took off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre on 10 January 2001 at 09:00 local time (01:00 GMT). At T + 358 seconds after the launch, a key control computer and its backup system both crashed, leaving the spacecraft without control. The mission control had to reboot both computers while the launch vehicle was still flying. The computers were back to normal less than 60 seconds before the spacecraft was due to enter its initial orbit. A similar problem occurred on another computer system shortly after the spacecraft entered the orbit.

During its seven-day flight, the spacecraft made three orbit-raising manoeuvres, reaching a 330 x 345km orbit by the end of the initial phase of the mission. After orbiting around the earth 117 times, the re-entry capsule entered the atmosphere over the west African coast and then landed at the landing site in Inner Mongolia at 19:22 local time (11:22 GMT) on 16 January 2001. However, a malfunctioned sensor caused the capsule’s landing rocket being ignited and the main parachute cut off at an altitude of several hundred metres instead of 1m above the ground, leading to a hard landing that destroyed almost all mission payloads inside the capsule. Although this was never reported by the Chinese media, the lack of publicity photographs of the recovered re-entry capsule after the landing indirectly confirmed this accident.

Mission Summary

See Also

• China National Manned Space Programme - Project 921
• ShenZhou spacecraft