China prepares to launch uncrewed Shenzhou as maiden launches slip for commercial launch providers

Date:
Thu, 20 Nov 2025 22:09:24 +0000

Description:
China is preparing to launch an uncrewed Shenzhou spacecraft as its
astronauts shuffle missions following The post China prepares to launch uncrewed Shenzhou as maiden launches slip for commercial launch providers appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .

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China is preparing to launch an uncrewed Shenzhou spacecraft as its
astronauts shuffle missions following damage to the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft, while the Tiangong station prepares to greet its first international visitor in 2026.

Meanwhile, commercial launch providers continue to make progress toward
maiden launches, though a number have slipped into early next year. Furthermore, a study of Change 6 lunar samples discovers rust on the moon, while preparations continue for the Change 7 water ice reconnaissance
mission.

The Shenzhou-20 crew prepare to disembark after returning to Earth in the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft on November 14, 2025 (Credit CMSA)

Shenzhou spacecraft shuffle at Tiangong

The crew of Shenzhou-20 returned on Nov. 14 in the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft, having spent 204 days in space. Their extended stay broke the record for the longest single mission duration by Chinese taikonauts. Commander Chen Dong also now holds the Chinese record for the longest accumulated time in space 418 days across three missions.

Chen Domg returned to Beijing with crewmates Wang Jie and Chen Zhongrui,
where they entered a brief period of medical quarantine and observation. During their crew rotation, the three each took part in a total of four extravehicular activities (EVA) in which they installed additional protection against space debris to the outside of the Tiangong station alongside other routine inspections. This rivalled the record for most EVAs in a single mission, which was set by the Shenzhou-15 crew in early 2023. Ironically, their own craft was then believed to have suffered damage from orbital
debris, which resulted in the crew returning in another vehicle.

Originally scheduled to undock from the Tianhe module and return on Nov. 5, the crew remained on station while an impact analysis and risk assessment
were conducted. These included inspections using cameras aboard Tiangongs robotic arm. The station has sufficient supplies and life-support margin to host six crew members for several weeks. The assessment concluded that there was a fine crack on the glass of one of the crafts two windows and deemed it unsuitable for crew return. The Shenzhou-20 crew was subsequently instructed to depart the station aboard the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft instead out of an abundance of caution. Chang Zheng 2F/G Y22 is moved during launch
preparations to launch with the Shenzhou-22 craft (Credit: CCTV)

As noted during the previous launch livestream, a second Chang Zheng 2F vehicle has been prepared on standby for all crewed launches since Shenzhou-12. This vehicle could be launched and docked to the station in just under nine days, including transit time, if needed, and would otherwise
become the launcher for the next scheduled Shenzhou mission.

Standard preparations have continued for the Y22 vehicle at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, from where it will now launch uncrewed on Nov. 25 at 04:11 UTC as the Shenzhou-22 mission. This will be the first uncrewed launch of a Shenzhou spacecraft since Shenzhou-8 in late 2011. In the meantime, the damaged Shenzhou-20 spacecraft will stay attached to Tiangong and act as an emergency lifeboat until this replacement spacecraft docks.

The extended stay gave both crews additional time to enjoy some chicken wings and grilled steak using a brand new oven, which was delivered with the Shenzhou-21 cargo. It functions like an air fryer, but adapted for microgravity, with a multi-layer filtration and air purification system that handles the smoke and particulates.

The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) recently announced that one member of
the next crew to launch, now Shenzhou-23, would spend one year in orbit.
While not explicitly confirmed, this implied that the first non-Chinese astronaut to visit the Tiangong station would likely join next Octobers
launch of Shenzhou-24. An as-yet unnamed astronaut from Pakistan would
briefly join as a short-stay guest and would then return in Shenzhou-23s otherwise empty seat. The Shenzhou-20 crew use the Tiangong stations new oven (Credit: CCTV)

The CMSA formally agreed with Pakistans Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) in February to train Pakistans first astronaut for this mission, signaling a significant step in their space partnership. Two Pakistani astronauts have now been shortlisted for the final selection from the original group of more than ten. See Also Shenzhou-21 launch Chinese Launches Forum NSF Store Click here to Join L2

Shenzhou-21 Commander Zhang Lu and his crewmates will now spend six months on the Tiangong station, conducting 27 experiments, including some self-designed by payload specialist Zhang Hongzhang. Flight Engineer Wu Fei became the youngest taikonaut to fly at the age of 32 on this mission.

The CMSA also confirmed that the first, uncrewed, Mengzhou capsule will fly aboard a single core Chang Zheng 10A (CZ-10A) from Wenchang next year, to validate the spacecraft systems and handling in flight. The Mengzhou, or
Dream Vessel, represents a shift from the Shenzhou capsules towards a next-generation spacecraft, specifically designed for lunar missions.

The CZ-10A has already completed static fire campaigns for its first and second stages, while the capsule completed ground abort testing in June and will conduct an in-flight abort test in the near future. Launch Complex 301 has been constructed specifically for the Chang Zheng 10 (CZ-10), which will support Chinas lunar missions and has yet to see its maiden launch. It did, however, host a seven-engine test fire of a CZ-10 first stage in August. This first Mengzhou mission could launch from this pad around this time next year, and would also serve as an opportunity to deliver cargo to the station a
task usually performed two to three times per year by Tianzhou craft. Lunar craters seen by Change 6 in June 2024 (Credit: CNSA)

Change 6 sample findings

Scientists examining the lunar samples returned from the Change 6 mission to the South Pole-Aitken Basin have found tiny grains of hematite and maghemite minerals analogous to rust that form only under oxidizing conditions. This result is unexpected as the Moon is thought to be too dry and oxygen-poor for rust to form. The surprising discovery suggests that large-scale ancient impacts may have briefly created pockets of oxygen-rich conditions, allowing iron in the soil to oxidise.

The finding offers a fresh clue to how the lunar surface evolved and hints that the Moons chemistry may be more complex than previously believed. Researchers say this marks the first direct evidence of oxidised iron
minerals on the Moon.

The China National Space Administration (CNSA) is currently preparing Change
7 to launch atop a Chang Zheng 5 in mid-2026. This mission will not be returning samples and will instead spend up to two months searching for water ice near Shackleton crater, with some other sites identified as backup locations. It also forms part of the reconnaissance phase of the
International Lunar Research Station, which China leads on, ahead of Change 8 kicking off its implementation phase. Illustration of the Change 7 hopper launching from the lander (Credit: CNSA/CCTV)

Change 7 will use fifteen instruments aboard an orbiter, a lander, a Yutu-derived rover, and a small hopper, which will explore craters that are
in permanent shadow. International partners who have contributed equipment include Russia, Egypt, Bahrain, Thailand, Switzerland, and Italy. The International Lunar Observatory Associations wide-field optical telescope
will also ride along and image the galactic center and Milky Way from the lander through a partnership with the University of Hong Kongs Laboratory for Space Research.

Recent launches out of China

November saw the first sea-launch of a Chang Zheng 11H in almost two years. This was Chinas 70th launch of the year and lifted off from the Haiyang Spaceport in Chinese coastal waters on Nov. 8th. The four-stage solid propellant rocket carried three Shiyan (test) satellites to low-Earth orbit (LEO), where they will test new optical technologies.

CAS Space also launched its own four-stage solid-propelled rocket, the Lijian-1 (or Kinetica-1), the following day, carrying test satellites to Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO). These are expected to maneuver down to a Very Low-Earth Orbit (VLEO) later in their mission to conduct their tests.
Lijian-1 (Kinetica-1) Y9 with decals celebrating the forthcoming 15th
National Games of China (Credit: CAS Space)

Another four-stage rocket left Jiuquan the following day, but experienced a premature shutdown on its fourth stage, over eight minutes into the burn. Galactic Energys Jilin-1 (or Ceres-1) subsequently failed to deploy its payloads into SSO. This was the vehicles second failure in five years, and
its first since its tenth flight back in 2023.

The anomaly is likely to delay the sea-launch of the Jilin-2 (Ceres-2), which was expected to debut before the end of the year, and uses an improved
version of this same fourth stage.

The same day saw a Chang Zheng 12 launch from the Wenchang Space Launch Site on Hainan Island the third flight of the vehicle. The mission carried a 13th batch of GuoWang internet communication satellites to LEO for the government-backed megaconstellation operated by SatNet. With 104 satellites now in orbit, GuoWang has almost caught up with its rival Qianfan, sometimes referred to as G60, which has 108 satellites currently in orbit. Deep Blue Aerospace tests its Leiting-R (Thunder-R) engines destined for the Xingyun-1 (Nebula-1) vehicle (Credit: Deep Blue Aerospace)

Commercial Chinese companies continue rocket development

Progress continues at a pace for a number of commercial launch providers who have been targeting maiden launches this year. With several rocket debuts being delayed, it could be next year before we see a number of these
partially reusable vehicles take to the Chinese skies.

Deep Blue Aerospace performed a successful static fire of nine Leiting-R (or Thunder-R) engines on the first stage of its partially reusable Xingyun-1 (Nebula-1), which burns liquid kerosene and oxygen as propellants. The
company claims this stage will be flight hardware for the maiden launch,
which will perform a splashdown for later recovery if all goes well.

Galactic Energy reported a successful test of seven Cangqiong-50 (CQ-50) engines for its Zhishenxing-1 (Pallas-1) the following day, which uses the same propellants. The second stage has already undergone static fire testing in September. The first stage was tested on the same HOS floating platform that Space Pioneer used to recently test its Tianlong-3, near Haiyang. The vehicle will eventually launch from a new dedicated pad, which is still being constructed at Jiuquan. iSpace performs separation tests for its Shuang Quxian3 (Hyperbola-3) vehicle (Credit: iSpace)

iSpace revealed Xingji Guihang (Interstellar Return) back in August, which will become Chinas first autonomous droneship for offshore propulsive landings, but the company has yet to static fire a second stage of its Shuang Quxian3 (Hyperbola-3). A December launch could still see this vehicle fly before the end of the year as planned. Separation tests of the vehicles 5.2m diameter fairing were recently shared on video.

OrienSpace has been testing its Yuanli-110 engine for the first stage of its forthcoming Yinli-2 (Gravity-2) to validate its ability to restart a key requirement for this partially reusable vehicle. The initial flight hardware is understood to use the proven YF-102 engines instead, though a late 2025 debut looks increasingly unlikely.

Space Pioneer is another launch provider that delayed plans to debut its vehicle from September to this month. With no clear indication of an actual launch date, the vehicle has been shown vertical on the pad. The company performed an additional static fire test of the first stage of its Tianlong-3 from its floating platform near Haiyang. It also shared a video in which the company successfully tested the release mechanism for a stack of 36 Starlink-style flat-packed satellites. Tianlong-3 vertical on the launch pad (Credit: Space Pioneer)

The two-stage Tianlong-3 is very similar in size, design, and payload
capacity to SpaceXs Falcon 9. Its engines burn the same mix of liquid
kerosene and liquid oxygen, and the booster will later feature four grid fins and retractable landing legs. The company is initially planning to recover
and refly its boosters up to ten times.

CAS Space also delayed the launch of its Lijian-2 (Kinetica-2) from September but has since completed the development and testing of its ground infrastructure at the companys dedicated launch pad within the Jiuquan launch center. The vehicle is a little smaller in height and diameter than the
Falcon 9 at 53 m tall, with roughly half the payload to orbit, depending on the configuration. It has now been raised vertically during testing of the transport erector and other equipment.

Initial flights will be expendable, with plans to introduce a reusable
variant by 2028. The rocket is set to carry the first Qingzhou (Light Ship) cargo vehicle to the Tiangong space station and has been expected to debut before the end of the year. ZhuQue-3 is static fired in October 2025 (Credit: CCTV/Landspace)

Meanwhile, Landspaces plans to debut the stainless steel ZhuQue-3 have also slipped to no earlier than November, with static fire testing performed twice on the first stage, most recently in October, but no second stage testing has been observed yet. This makes a maiden launch in 2025 less likely, with a little over a month to go in the year.

(Lead image: Chang Zheng 2F launches Shenzhou-21 mission in October. Credit: CCTV )



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Link to news story: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2025/11/china-roundup-112025/


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