NSSDCA/COSPAR ID: 2002-061A
Shenzhou 4 (meaning Divine Vessel) is a Chinese (PRC) unmanned test satellite that was launched from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China by a Long March 2F rocket at 16:40 UT on 29 December 2002. It carries a retrievable crew module with all furnishings, test equipment, and dummy astronauts to assess its viability for a manned launch. (Very similar to the Russian Soyuz spacecraft, the Shenzhous carry two other modules, a service module for storing fuel and equipment, and an orbiter to continue on after the release of the crew module.) The crew module will make a parachuted soft-landing on the grasslands of Inner Mongolia after a seven day mission.
Launch Date: 2002-12-29
Launch Vehicle: Long March 2F
Launch Site: Jiuquan, Peoples Republic of China
Questions and comments about this spacecraft can be directed to: Coordinated Request and User Support Office