By 
November 2nd, 2025
Image credit: CCTV/CMSA
A major element of China’s humans-to-the-Moon program is development of a new generation of crewed spaceship.
The Mengzhou-1 is to be launched in 2026, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
A state-run Xinhua news agency story explains that “Mengzhou is developed through a comprehensive upgrade from the Shenzhou crewed spaceship. It adopts a modular design, comprising a return capsule and a service capsule, and it will provide transport between Earth and the space station.”
Maiden flight
The Mengzhou-1 crewed spaceship will make its maiden flight — (uncrewed) atop the Long March-10A carrier rocket from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in southern Hainan Province, and dock with the radial port of the space station’s core module.
New generation Mengzhou spacecraft.
Image credit: CMSA
The spaceship’s overall systems are to be evaluated while delivering to China’s orbital outpost environmental assessment instruments and supplies, technology demonstration payloads, crew necessities, and experiment devices for applied-science tests.
Future launches
CMSA also noted that China will also launch the Shenzhou-22 and Shenzhou-23 crewed spacecraft from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China next year. Each mission will carry a crew of three astronauts.
The Shenzhou-22 spacecraft will dock with the radial port of the space station’s core module, while Shenzhou-23 will dock with the front port.
“One astronaut of the Shenzhou-22 crew will stay in orbit for a long-duration residency experiment lasting more than one year,” states the Xinhua report.
Astronauts on the Shenzhou-21 manned spaceship were greeted by the Shenzhou-20 crew, who they will be replacing, after successfully docking with China’s Tiangong space station in orbit on November 1 to begin the handover of duties.
Image credit: CMSA/CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
China also plans to launch the uncrewed Tianzhou-10 cargo spacecraft from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in 2026. It will dock with the backward port of the space station’s core module.
Landing site drills
Meanwhile, the recently lofted Shenzhou-21 crew is involved in handover station activities with the Shenzhou-20 trio of space travelers.
Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie flew to the space station in April of this year and are preparing to return to Earth in the coming days.
China Central Television (CCTV) states that multiple comprehensive drills have been conducted at the Dongfeng landing site in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. This recovery crew will handle the return of the Shenzhou-20 crew.
For a new video showing the two crews aboard China’s Tiangong space station, go to:
Posted in Space News
