ShenZhou 4 Unmanned Experimental Spaceflight Mission

Last updated: 25 May 2007

ShenZhou 4 is the fourth, and also the last unmanned experimental flight mission before China’s first attempt to send a human into space. The purpose of the ShenZhou 4 mission was to assess the spacecraft’s viability for a manned launch, especially its life support system. As a result, the ShenZhou 4 spacecraft had no major difference to the ShenZhou 5. The spacecraft flew with the ability for manual flight control and emergency landing, exactly identical to those systems that would be used in a manned mission. The ShenZhou 4 spacecraft carried two dummy astronauts that simulate the breathing and other life activities of human beings in space. The spacecraft carried every item of equipments for manned flight, including sleeping bag and space food.

Preparation for the ShenZhou 4 launch began in later 2002. Shortly before the launch, the temperature at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre (JSLC) dropped to –27°C following to a heavy snow that lasted for three days. Concerns were raised as the launch could only be carried out at temperatures above –20°C according to the system requirements. After accessing the conditions of the spacecraft and the launch vehicle and adopting some insulation measures, the programme design team decided to go-ahead with the launch as scheduled.

On 30 December 2002 at 00:40 local time (29 December 16:40 GMT), a CZ-2F launch vehicle carrying the ShenZhou 4 spacecraft lifted off from the launch pad at JSLC. As well as the two dummy astronauts, the spaceship also carried 52 science payloads for earth observation, space environment monitoring, micro-gravity fluid physics, and biological technology research. The ere-entry capsule was successfully recovered on 5 January 2003 at 19:16 local time (11:16 GMT), with the orbit module remaining on earth orbit for another six months.

The success in the ShenZhou 4 mission proved that the spacecraft met the safety and reliability requirements for a manned launch. As a result, the Chinese leadership finally gave go-ahead to the first manned flight mission, which took place ten months later in October 2003, making China the third country in the world to have the ability to send human into space independently.

Mission Summary

Gallery

See Also

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