Shenzhou 1

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Mission dates
Mission: Shenzhou 1
COSPAR-ID : 1999-061A
Spacecraft: Shenzhou
Dimensions: 7600 kg
Launcher: Long march 2F
Crew: no
Begin: November 19, 1999, 10:30 PM  UTC
Starting place: Jiuquan
Landing: November 20, 1999, 19:41 UTC
Landing place: Inner Mongolia
41 ° 0 ′  N , 105 ° 0 ′  E
Flight duration: 21 h 11 min
Earth orbits: 14th
Rotation time : 89.6 minutes
Orbit inclination : 42.6 °
Apogee : 315 km
Perigee : 195 km
◄ Before / After ►
- Shenzhou 2
(unmanned)

Shenzhou 1 ( Chinese  神舟 一号 ) took off on November 19, 1999 and was the first unmanned flight of a Chinese Shenzhou- type spacecraft . The capsule was not equipped with a life support or emergency system. After Shenzhou 1 had circled the earth 14 times, the command for a braking maneuver was given at 18:49 UTC by the observation and control ship " Yuan Wang 3 ", which was stationed off the coast of Namibia. After successfully re-entering the earth's atmosphere, the Shenzhou 1 return capsule landed approximately 415 kilometers east of the launch pad and 110 kilometers northwest of Wuhai , Inner Mongolia .

The first Shenzhou spaceship differed from the copies used later. Instead of the normally unfolded solar panels, Shenzhou 1 was equipped with rigidly fixed solar cells. During the first flight there was also no change in earth orbit. According to Qi Faren, the chief designer of the spaceship, only eight of the 13 subsystems were functional or in use. Shenzhou 1 was developed primarily to test the Long March 2F launch vehicle and the flight behavior of the Shenzhou spaceship. The separation of the modules, the control of the orbit, the behavior of the spaceship on re-entry into the earth's atmosphere, the heat shield and the recovery on the ground were tested.

Shenzhou 1 carried 100 kilograms of seed on board to study the effects of space on growth. Presumably a dummy package for electronic reconnaissance was attached to the tip of the orbital module , which was further developed into a fully functioning model during the Shenzhou 2 mission.

In June 1999 it was announced that the flight would take place in October of that year. At around the same time, pictures of the CZ-2F launch vehicle and the assembly building were posted on a Chinese military Internet forum. The launch was postponed following a fuel explosion at the satellite launch center in Jiuquan, known abroad but denied by the Chinese authorities.

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