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Long March 2F | Shenzhou-4
China Aerospace Science and Technology CorporationLaunch Successful

Shenzhou-4

Long March 2F

Historical mission record

This page records Long March 2F | Shenzhou-4 and its reported outcome: Launch Successful. The date above is a historical record.

Source record updated . This is a source update, not a confirmed launch time.

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Mission status
Launch Successful

Status reported by the mission data provider.

LAUNCH SITEJiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Mission

Fourth and final test flight of the Shenzhou spacecraft, without crew on board. The spacecraft was flown in the same configuration as a crew-carrying mission, and as such two dummy astronauts were carried on board, as are sleeping bags, food and medication. The control systems were fitted with ability for manual control and emergency landing. The windows were constructed of a new material that was designed to stay clear even after reentry to allow an astronaut to confirm that the parachutes have deployed properly. The spacecraft carried 100 peony seeds to investigate the effect of weightlessness on plants grown from them. The 52 experiments onboard investigated areas in physics, biology, medicine, earth observation, material science, and astronomy.

Launch vehicle
Long March 2F
Mission type
Human Exploration
Destination orbit
Low Earth Orbit
Spacecraft
Shenzhou 4
Destination
Low Earth Orbit
Launch pad
Launch Area 91 (SLS-1 / 921)
Provider
China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation
Programs
Shenzhou

The vehicle

Published configuration and flight history.

Long March 2F
Launch vehicle

Long March 2F

The Long March 2F is a Chinese orbital carrier rocket, part of the Long March 2 rocket family. Designed to launch the crewed Shenzhou spacecraft, the Long March 2F is a human-rated two-stage version of the Long March 2E rocket, which in turn was based on the Long March 2C launch vehicle. It is launched from complex SLS at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.

Height
62 m
Diameter
3.35 m
Stages
2
Recorded launches
7
First flight
1999-11-19

Recorded timing

This is a mission record, not an upcoming calendar appointment.

Instantaneous windowPublished target
SCHEDULED MOMENT

A single scheduled moment. The schedule may change before launch.

Launch site & orbit

Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

The mission in perspective

Launch site & orbit

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NASA Blue Marble map of Earth's continents and oceans
Representative orbit · accelerated illustrationNo live tracking or simulated ascent. NASA Blue Marble.

Coverage & sources

Links supplied by the mission data provider.
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Mission coverage

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Further reading

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