DEPLOYDatabase

Deployment

Shenzhou at Low Earth Orbit (Tiangong Space Station)

Crewed spacecraft performing autonomous fast-rendezvous docking with the Tiangong space station.

Shenzhou by China Manned Space Agency · Operated by China Manned Space Agency · Catalog entry · 1 source · not yet field-verified


Machine-readable surfaces

Shenzhou crewed spacecraft conducting regular rotational missions to the Tiangong space station since Shenzhou-12 in June 2021. As of 2026, six crewed missions have been completed with crews staying 6 months each.

Key facts

Crew size
3 astronauts per mission
Mission duration
6 months (standard), 1 year (Shenzhou-23)

Safety record

No incidents on record for Shenzhou at Low Earth Orbit (Tiangong Space Station).

Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.

Trust tier
Catalog entry · 1 source · not yet field-verified
Last updated
2026-07-09
Status
operational
First seen
2021-06-17
ID
23bd3f73-0efb-47aa-ba45-877f2283ac86

Sources (1)

  1. China sends astronaut on year-long space mission as it eyes 2030 moon landing · https://www.reuters.com/science/china-send-astronaut-year-long-space-mission-it-eyes-2030-moon-landing-2026-05-23/ · 2021-06-17
Methodology: Verified · 1 source (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-07-09

Verification posture

Verified

Medium confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-07-09

Maturity + lifecycle

Maturity stage: production

Lifecycle: active

Architectural position

Cohort: space

Sources by quality tier

1
secondary-established-publication
Established publication

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.

Methodology surface for Shenzhou at Low Earth Orbit (Tiangong Space Station).

Common questions

What is the Shenzhou deployment at Low Earth Orbit (Tiangong Space Station)?
Shenzhou, built by China Manned Space Agency, is recorded as a deployment at Low Earth Orbit (Tiangong Space Station) on the DEPLOY registry. China Manned Space Agency operates the deployment directly.
Who operates Shenzhou at Low Earth Orbit (Tiangong Space Station)?
China Manned Space Agency, the manufacturer of Shenzhou, operates this deployment directly. This is a maker-deploys-its-own-product arrangement rather than a customer pilot.
When did the Shenzhou deployment at Low Earth Orbit (Tiangong Space Station) go live?
The deployment is recorded as starting June 17, 2021 on the DEPLOY registry. Earlier activity may exist but is not yet sourced.
Have there been incidents at the Shenzhou deployment at Low Earth Orbit (Tiangong Space Station)?
No active incidents affecting this deployment are recorded on the DEPLOY registry. Absence of recorded incidents is not a guarantee no incident occurred; DEPLOY records only sourced incidents and suppresses retracted ones.
Is Shenzhou at Low Earth Orbit (Tiangong Space Station) safe?
Shenzhou at Low Earth Orbit (Tiangong Space Station) has no incidents on record in the DEPLOY registry. This does not constitute a safety guarantee; it reflects the incidents DEPLOY has tracked and verified to date.

Deploy Watch

Track this deployment.

We notify you when status changes against primary-source evidence, contract events surface, or a related incident is filed.