Shenzhou 23
Planned Chinese crewed spaceflight to the Tiangong space station
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shenzhou 23 (Chinese: 神舟二十三号; pinyin: Shénzhōu èrshísān-hào; lit. 'Divine Boat Number 23') is a planned Chinese spaceflight to the Tiangong space station. It is planned to carry three taikonauts on board a Shenzhou spacecraft.[1] The mission will be the 17th crewed Chinese spaceflight and the 23rd flight overall of the Shenzhou program.
| Mission type | Tiangong space station crew transport |
|---|---|
| Operator | China Manned Space Agency |
| Mission duration | 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 | NET 24 May 2026, 15:08:00 UTC (23:08:00 CST) |
| Rocket | Long March 2F/G (Y23) |
| Launch site | Jiuquan, LA-4/SLS |
| Contractor | China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | November or December 2026 |
| Landing site | Inner Mongolia (planned) |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Inclination | 41.5° |
| Docking with Tiangong space station | |
| Docking port | Tianhe nadir |
| Undocking date | October 2026 (planned) |
| Time docked | 180 days (planned) |
Mission insignia | |
Background
Originally expected to launch around November 2026, the launch of Shenzhou 23 has been brought up to May 2026 due to the early launch of its predecessor Shenzhou 22.[2] It will be 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.[3][4]
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.[2]
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.[1] This would allow a Pakistani astronaut to visit Tiangong during the Shenzhou 24 mission scheduled for October 2026.[4]
Crew
In keeping with previous Chinese crewed missions, the crew was announced one day before the planned launch date. The mission will be commanded by Zhu Yangzhu, who previously flew on Shenzhou 16. Lai Ka-ying will become the first person since Hong Kong became a special administrative region of China to travel to space, serving as a payload specialist on the Shenzhou 23 mission.[5][6]
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, CMSA Second spaceflight | |
| Pilot | Zhang Zhiyuan, CMSA First spaceflight | |
| Payload Specialist | Lai Ka-ying, CMSA First spaceflight |
Muhammad Zeeshan Ali or Khurram Daud, SUPARCO First spaceflight |