Engineering:Shenzhou 23

Shenzhou 23

Rollout of Shenzhou 23 atop a Long March 2F/G
Mission type	Tiangong space station crew transport
Operator	China Manned Space Agency
Mission duration	33 days, 4 hours, 37 minutes (in progress) 180 days (planned)
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type	Shenzhou
Manufacturer	China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation
Crew
Crew size	3
Members	Zhu Yangzhu Zhang Zhiyuan Lai Ka-ying
Start of mission
Launch date	24 May 2026, 15:08:36 UTC (23:08:36 CST)
Rocket	Long March 2F/G (Y23)
Launch site	Jiuquan, LA-4/SLS-1
Contractor	China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology
End of mission
Landing date	November 2026 (planned)
Landing site	Inner Mongolia (planned)
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric orbit
Regime	Low Earth orbit
Perigee altitude	379 km (235 mi)
Apogee altitude	389 km (242 mi)
Inclination	41.47°
Docking with Tiangong space station
Docking port	Tianhe nadir
Docking date	24 May 2026, 18:45 UTC
Undocking date	November 2026 (planned)
Time docked	33 days, 1 hour, 1 minute (in progress)
Mission insignia Shenzhou program

Shenzhou 23 (Chinese: 神舟二十三号; pinyin: Shénzhōu èrshísān-hào; literally: 'Divine Boat Number 23') is an ongoing Chinese spaceflight to transport three taikonauts on a Shenzhou spacecraft to and from the Tiangong space station. The mission is the 17th crewed Chinese spaceflight and the 23rd flight overall of the Shenzhou program.

Background

Originally expected to launch around November 2026, the launch of Shenzhou 23 was brought up to May 2026 due to the early launch of its predecessor Shenzhou 22. It is the 11th crewed flight to the Tiangong space station, and is expected to last approximately 6 months.

Mission

On 19 January 2026, China Central Television reported that the Shenzhou 23 spacecraft had arrived at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center about two months ahead of the original schedule. The spacecraft for Shenzhou 24 is also expected to be completed by summer, restoring the "launch-on-need" capability similar to that demonstrated during Shenzhou 22. The early delivery of both spacecraft, along with their Long March 2F launch vehicles, ensures that a backup mission can be prepared on short notice if required.

The mission is planned to launch aboard a Long March 2F rocket and will likely dock with the nadir port of the Tianhe core module of the Tiangong space station.

Unlike previous six-month missions, the CMSA has announced that one astronaut from Shenzhou 23 is expected to stay in space for a full year. This would allow a Pakistani astronaut to visit Tiangong during the Shenzhou 24 mission scheduled for October 2026.

Crew

In keeping with previous Chinese crewed missions, the crew was announced one day before the planned launch date. The mission is being commanded by Zhu Yangzhu, who previously flew on Shenzhou 16. He is responsible for the whole mission and completion of mission objectives. Zhang Zhiyuan is a former air force pilot, his responsibility will be completing the mission objectives and assisting during spaceflight operations. Lai Ka-ying became the first person from Hong Kong to travel to space, serving as a payload specialist. She will conduct the science experiments aboard the space station and management and maintenance of payloads.

One member of the crew is expected to remain aboard the station for approximately one year alongside two members of Shenzhou 24. The selection will be determined later in the mission based on physical and psychological evaluations. This arrangement would allow a Pakistani astronaut, either Muhammad Zeeshan Ali or Khurram Daud, to make a short-duration visit to the station, launching with Shenzhou 24 and returning roughly one week later with two members of the Shenzhou 23 crew.

Position	Launching crew	Landing crew
Commander	Zhu Yangzhu, PLAAC Second spaceflight
Pilot	Zhang Zhiyuan, PLAAC First spaceflight
Payload specialist	Lai Ka-ying, CMSA First spaceflight	TBA, SUPARCO First spaceflight