The verified answer
As of Sep 2026, DEPLOY verifies China National Space Administration: 3 models, 6 deployments across 2 regions, 1 active incident. 1 source back the record.
CategorySpace
Overview
The China National Space Administration (CNSA) is China's civilian space agency, established in 1993. CNSA oversees the nation's lunar exploration program (Chang'e), interplanetary missions (Tianwen), the Tiangong space station, and satellite fleet. Notable achievements include the first far-side Moon landing (Chang'e 4), far-side sample return (Chang'e 6), and Mars rover deployment (Zhurong via Tianwen-1).
Verified record
- Verified deployments
- 6 deployments on file
- Active incidents
- 1 incident on file
Key facts
Focus
Robot
Missions
Notable
Yutu-2 status
Administrator
Budget
Type
Jurisdiction
Data & sources
Web sources
1
1 source backing this record.View all →
Models (3)
View all models →Current platform
Yutu-2 Rover
China's lunar far-side rover, deployed by the Chang'e 4 lander (first far-side soft landing, 2019-01-03). Operated primarily by ground command across the Earth-Moon light delay; Chinese sources describe autonomous navigation/obstacle-detection capability, but the specific hazard-avoidance behavior is not corroborated in English-language primary sources (verified-vs-claimed: stated as claimed-capability, not verified). Still mobile as of 2025 (1.6+ km traversed), the longest-lived lunar rover.
Retired
Zhurong Rover
China's first Mars rover (Tianwen-1; landed Utopia Planitia 2021-05-14, drove off 2021-05-22). Operated by ground command with twin-rover path rehearsal on Earth; no autonomous hazard-avoidance system is documented in available sources (verified-vs-claimed: do not overstate as autonomous). Entered planned hibernation 2022-05-18 and never re-established contact (solar-panel dust suspected); presumed lost.
Current platform
Chang'e Lander
Robotic lunar landers using multi-beam obstacle-avoidance LiDAR and autonomous hazard-avoidance hover/descent (Chang'e 3 onward).
China National Space Administration on the deployment map
View the global map6 verified deployments across 2 regions, newest verified Jun 2024. Explore where China National Space Administration's robots are operating, by place and type.
- endedChang'e Lander at The Moon →Missouri · verified Jun 2024
- endedZhurong Rover at Mars →Space · verified May 2021
- endedChang'e Lander at The Moon →Missouri · verified Dec 2020
- operationalYutu-2 Rover at The Moon →Missouri · verified Jan 2019
- endedChang'e Lander at The Moon →Missouri · verified Jan 2019
- endedChang'e Lander at The Moon →Missouri · verified Dec 2013
View the full China National Space Administration deployment record →
Relationships
Current leadership (1)
- Shan Zhongde Administratorreported, not verified
Safety record
Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.
Full safety record: incidents, sourcing, and exposure data →
Incidents affecting China National Space Administration (1)
- Long March 7A rocket fails during ChinaSat-4B satellite launch from Wenchang2026-08-10 · Malfunction
Includes incidents linked directly to this company, to its models, or to deployments of its models or under its operation. Retracted incidents are excluded from this view but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.
Operator customers (1)
- China National Space Administration6 deployments
Recent coverage
China National Space Administration in third-party press
Peers
56 peers across 1 segment. Every China National Space Administration competitor derived from shared form-factor and application-domain edges.
space(56)
36 companies in this segment · low_concentration (HHI 1188.742650389188) · leader K2 Space at 2172%
- Airbusdirect competitor(inferred)strong
- Astrobotic Technologydirect competitor(inferred)strong
- Astroscaledirect competitor(inferred)strong
- Boeingdirect competitor(inferred)strong
- China Manned Space Agencydirect competitor(inferred)strong
- ClearSpacedirect competitor(inferred)strong
Financial state
- Reporting basis
- private_reported
- Lifecycle stage
- growth
- Counterparty risk class
- moderate
Each numeric field carries its own basis marker. Aggregators report a number; this surface preserves the source class so verification depth travels with the value.
Recent activity
Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.
- Incident recordedAug 10, 2026
Long March 7A rocket fails during ChinaSat-4B satellite launch from Wenchang
- Verified media addedVerifiedJun 11, 2026
Chang'e-4 Deploys Yutu-2 Rover on the Moon
- Verified media addedVerifiedJun 11, 2026
Zhurong Landing on Mars: Onboard Camera View
- Verified media addedVerifiedJun 7, 2026
Yutu-2 rolls across the Moon
- Verified media addedVerifiedJun 6, 2026
Chang'e-6 far-side lunar landing
Sources (1)
Common questions
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Are there any incidents involving China National Space Administration?
Is China National Space Administration safe?
Methodology: Verified · 1 source (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-08-21
Verification posture
Verified
Low confidence
Review state
Stable
Last reviewed 2026-08-21
Sources by quality tier
- 1
- knowledge-base
- Knowledge base
The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.
Methodology surface for China National Space Administration.Peer companies
- Impulse Space6 models
- AstroForge3 models
- Astrobotic Technology3 models
- SpaceX3 models
- Astroscale2 models
- Boeing2 models
In the press
Recent coverage mentioning China National Space Administration from third-party publications. Automatically surfaced; not part of the verified registry record.
China says Long March 7A rocket launch failed after flight anomaly
A Long March 7A rocket carrying the ChinaSat-4B satellite failed after an in-flight anomaly following liftoff from the Wenchang space launch site. The rocket was completely…
China National Space Administration - Wikipedia
Wikipedia overview of CNSA: established 1993, annual budget $18.15B (2023), oversees lunar exploration (Chang'e), Mars missions (Tianwen-1, Zhurong rover), and robotic rovers…
Chang'e-6 lands on far side of the moon to collect unique lunar samples
China's Chang'e-6 mission successfully landed on the far side of the Moon at the South Pole-Aitken basin to collect and return lunar samples, a world first.
What is the China National Space Administration (CNSA)?
Overview of CNSA's missions and accomplishments including the Chang'e lunar program, Tianwen Mars missions, and Tiangong space station operations.
Machine-readable surfaces
- Markdown mirror: /companies/cnsa.md
- RSS feed: /companies/cnsa/feed.xml
- JSON-LD: embedded in this page’s head
- REST API: /v1/companies/1a9f61ca-2bc9-45ff-97dd-7dd20174aaa2
- Revision history: /companies/cnsa/history
- Data documentation: /data
- Query this programmatically: Deploy MCP
Peer companies
- Impulse Space6 models
- AstroForge3 models
- Astrobotic Technology3 models
- SpaceX3 models
- Astroscale2 models
- Boeing2 models
Video
Chinese robots have discovered something new on the far side of the Moon Last Video: Something Big is Happening With China's Tiangong Space Station https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWZTUiP6XiQ&ab_channel=TheSpaceRace ►S
What’s life really like 400 kilometers above Earth inside China’s Tiangong Space Station — the “Heavenly Palace” orbiting our planet? 🇨🇳 In this exclusive, d
Thanks to our guest contributor, Jatan Mehta from Moon Monday. Subscribe to the Moon Monday blog and newsletter at this link: https://jatan.space/subscribe Las
China has become a great competitor to the United States in space. Over the last several years, the country has executed a number of milestones including launch
Explore China's ambitious space program and its impact on global power dynamics. From historical origins at Caltech to leading-edge missions, discover how China
NASA is ordering landers, rovers and drones for a sprawling Moon base, less than two months after the Artemis II's record-breaking lunar flyaround. The space ag
China plans to send a flying robot to the Moon's south pole to explore potential water reserves, marking a new milestone in space exploration. #china #beijing
In this brief e-learning video, you will learn about China National Space Administration (CNSA), the national space agency of the People's Republic of China res
Tiangong Space Station Robotic Arm Work Start.China Space Station, China National Space Administration, Tiangong Station, Robotic Arm Tiangong Space Station, Ti
The Chinese Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP; Chinese: 中国探月; pinyin: Zhōngguó Tànyuè), also known as the Chang'e Project (Chinese: 嫦娥工程; pinyin: Cháng'é Gōngchén
Secretly China has launched a secret robot to the far side of the moon Reports of China launching a secret robot to the far side of the moon have surfaced, spa
Heat Index
Serious50/100
A composite of competitive footprint, funding, press velocity, active partnerships, and supply-chain edges. Different from the Intelligence score below (which is per-form-factor productization). Non-robotics companies cap at 25.
Reality vs attention
China National Space Administration draws attention at the 69th percentile but verifies reality at the 60th percentile among space robots. Hype Gap +9.1, 19th widest among space robots.
6-month trend
Analysis
Safety profile within acceptable range for category. Limited public funding data for capital position assessment.
Signal flags
Dimension breakdown
Verified signal
Attention (reach, not merit)
DEPLOY Intelligence scores are computed from verified registry data: confirmed deployments, disclosed funding rounds, regulatory filings, active job listings, video viewership, and press coverage. Confidence ratings reflect data availability. Scores update nightly.
DEPLOY Indices — verified vs claimed
Last computed: Sep 4, 2026