Robot model
Shenzhou
Crewed spacecraft performing autonomous fast-rendezvous docking with the Tiangong space station.
- Manufacturer
- China Manned Space Agency
- Form factor
- space
- Maturity
- production
- Lifecycle
- active
- Deployments
- 2
Deploy Watch
Track Shenzhou on Deploy.
We notify you when a verified state change lands on the record, not when the company issues a claim.
Key facts
Autonomy level
Form factor
Maker
Specs
Role
Autonomy
Data & sources
Web sources
2
2 sources backing this record.View all →
Pricing
No verified price is on record for Shenzhou. Physical-AI systems are often sold through enterprise contracts or operated as a service rather than at a public list price.
Deployments (2)
Shenzhou crewed spacecraft conducting regular rotational missions to the Tiangong space station since Shenzhou-12 in June 2021.
Shenzhou-21 completed autonomous fast-rendezvous docking with the Tiangong space station in Low Earth Orbit approximately 3.5 hours after launch in November 2025, marking China's fastest crewed docking to date.
Shenzhou on the deployment map
Where Shenzhou is verified operating. Explore the deployment map by place and type.
Recent activity
Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.
- Verified media addedVerifiedJun 6, 2026
Shenzhou crewed spacecraft docking
- Record createdJun 5, 2026
Added to the verified registry
- Incident recordedOct 30, 2025
Shenzhou-20 crewed spacecraft suspected struck by orbital debris, delaying astronaut...
- Deployment verifiedVerifiedJun 17, 2021
at Low Earth Orbit (Tiangong Space Station)
- Deployment verifiedVerifiedJun 17, 2021
at Low Earth Orbit (Tiangong Space Station)
Deployment-verified media (1)
Chinese state media (Xinhua) footage of a Shenzhou crewed spacecraft docking with the Tiangong space station. Shenzhou is a crewed spacecraft with autonomous fast-rendezvous docking capability, attributed to the CNSA program.
From deployment: Low Earth Orbit (Tiangong Space Station)
Safety record
Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.
Incidents affecting Shenzhou (1)
Includes incidents linked directly to this model or to deployments of it. Retracted incidents are excluded from this view but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.
Sources (2)
Common questions
- What is Shenzhou?
- Crewed spacecraft performing autonomous fast-rendezvous docking with the Tiangong space station.
- How much does Shenzhou cost?
- Shenzhou's price is not publicly disclosed. DEPLOY has no verified price on record for Shenzhou from China Manned Space Agency. Physical-AI systems like this are often sold through enterprise contracts or operated as a service rather than at a public list price; check the manufacturer for the latest.
- Is Shenzhou actually deployed in the real world?
- Yes. Shenzhou is independently verified in real-world operation on the DEPLOY registry, confirmed at named deployment sites with primary sources: not a concept, render, or demo-only.
- Who makes Shenzhou?
- Shenzhou is made by China Manned Space Agency, based in Beijing, China, founded in 1993.
- Where is Shenzhou deployed?
- 2 verified deployments of Shenzhou are on the DEPLOY registry, including at Low Earth Orbit (Tiangong Space Station).
- Can you buy Shenzhou?
- Shenzhou is in commercial deployment and is sold to operators; contact the manufacturer to buy, and see the pricing section for any recorded price.
- What are alternatives to Shenzhou?
- On the DEPLOY registry, comparable space robots to Shenzhou include Chang'e Lander, Mira, W-Series Capsule, Astrobee.
- How does Shenzhou compare to Chang'e Lander?
- Shenzhou and Chang'e Lander (China National Space Administration · 4 deployments) are both space robots on the DEPLOY registry. Shenzhou has 2 verified deployments on record. Compare both records for specs, safety, deployments, and verified-vs-claimed autonomy.
- Is Shenzhou a top space?
- On DEPLOY's intelligence score, which blends verified deployments, safety, adoption, media, and IP signals, Shenzhou ranks in roughly the top 28% of space models tracked by the registry.
- What is Shenzhou's maturity stage?
- Shenzhou is at the production stage on the DEPLOY maturity ladder (research, prototype, pilot, commercial, production). Production stage means high-volume manufacture and commercial-scale deployments are sustained.
- Is Shenzhou safe?
- Shenzhou has 1 active incident on record in the DEPLOY registry. 1 incident on record (1 serious). Most recent: Oct 2025. Retracted incidents are excluded from this count.
Methodology: Verified · 2 sources (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-07-12
Verification posture
Verified
Low confidence
Review state
Stable
Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Maturity + lifecycle
Maturity stage: production
Lifecycle: active
Architectural position
Cohort: space
Sources by quality tier
- 1
- unclassified
- Unclassified source
- 1
- knowledge-base
- Knowledge base
The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.
Methodology surface for Shenzhou.Recent coverage
Shenzhou in third-party press
China launches Shenzhou-23 astronauts into space amid new race to Moon - ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation
China launches new spaceship, eyes longer space stay amid race with U.S. - Japan Wire by Kyodo News
China sends astronaut on year-long space mission as it eyes 2030 moon landing - Reuters
Attention vs reality over time
Media mentions per month (area) against verified deployment events (dots). A press spike over a flat deployment line is the hype gap, drawn over time.
In the press
Recent coverage mentioning Shenzhou from third-party publications. Automatically surfaced; not part of the verified registry record.
China launches Shenzhou-23 astronauts into space amid new race to Moon - ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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China launches new spaceship, eyes longer space stay amid race with U.S. - Japan Wire by Kyodo News
<a href="https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiWkFVX3lxTFA4cnZTMk9YMzNPc0ctXzlVblZBU09UTG51akY5UXg4XzNWSzNBRndoeVhtcktzR05GR1RpRG9GRjRLTGk4aENubm14VWtvU2hxQUJPa0RBaWExUQ?oc=5"…
China sends astronaut on year-long space mission as it eyes 2030 moon landing - Reuters
<a…
China to send astronaut on record year-long space mission amid Moon landing plans - Українські Національні Новини (УНН)
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China's crewed lunar programme eyes astronaut landing by 2030 - Reuters
<a…
Shenzhou-21 astronauts complete second series of extravehicular activities - State Council Information Office
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Shenzhou-21 taikonauts carry out second extravehicular mission to install space debris shielding - Global Times
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Shenzhou XXI astronauts conduct first spacewalk, install debris shields - China Daily
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Shenzhou XXI astronauts conduct their 1st spacewalk - China Daily
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Chinese astronauts return from space station after delay blamed on space debris damage - PBS
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Chinese astronauts back from six-month mission with record-setting space tasks - State Council Information Office
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China tests robot on board Tiangong space station - South China Morning Post
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Machine-readable surfaces
- Markdown mirror: /models/shenzhou.md
- JSON-LD: embedded in this page’s head
- REST API: /v1/models/823d91a3-75f5-43ed-843e-413000c8dd7d
- Revision history: /models/shenzhou/history
- Data documentation: /data
- Query this programmatically: Deploy MCP
Reality vs attention
Shenzhou draws attention at the 67th percentile but verifies reality at the 76th percentile among space robots. Hype Gap -8.8, 17th widest among space robots.
6-month trend
Analysis
Thin deployment record; scale validation still in progress.
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: Jul 21, 2026