Mengzhou (spacecraft)

Mengzhou
梦舟

Mengzhou spacecraft mockup displayed in 2023
Manufacturer	CAST
Country of origin	China
Operator	CMSA
Applications	Tiangong space station crew and cargo transport Crewed exploration beyond LEO
Specifications
Spacecraft type	Crewed
Launch mass	Total mass: 14,000 kg (31,000 lb) (LEO configuration)[2] Total mass: 21,600 kg (47,600 lb) (lunar configuration)[3] Maximum mass: 23,000 kg (51,000 lb)[4] New version: 26,000 kg (57,000 lb)[5]
Dry mass	Crew module: 5,600 kg (12,300 lb) (landing mass)[6]
Payload capacity	Total payload: 4,000 kg (8,800 lb) Recoverable payload:2,500 kg (5,500 lb)[2]
Crew capacity	6-7 crew 3 crew with 500 kg (1,100 lb) cargo[7]
Volume	Crew module: 13 m3 (459 cu ft)[2]
Power	Solar
Regime	Low Earth orbit, lunar Transfer Orbit, lunar orbit
Design life	21 days[1]
Dimensions
Length	Total length: 7.23 metres (23.7 ft) (LEO configuration)[2] Total length: 8.8 metres (29 ft) (lunar configuration)[3]
Diameter	Crew module: 4.5 metres (15 ft)[6]
Production
Status	Testing
Built	1
Launched	1
Maiden launch	LM5B-Y1 (5 May 2020)

The Mengzhou (Chinese: 梦舟; pinyin: mèng zhōu), formerly known as the next-generation crewed spacecraft (Chinese: 新一代载人飞船; pinyin: xīnyīdài zàirén fēichuán), is a type of reusable spacecraft developed and manufactured by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). The prototype of the spacecraft underwent its first uncrewed test flight on 5 May 2020.

The crew carrier is designed to conduct lunar exploration in conjunction with China's future lunar descent spacecraft, the Lanyue lander, by the end of this decade. A low-earth orbit (LEO) version of the spacecraft intended to ferry astronauts to the Tiangong Space Station is also under development; this LEO version will serve as a modern replacement for the existing Shenzhou spacecraft.^[8] The new spacecraft is expected to attain crewed flight capability around 2025-2026.

On the Chinese Lantern Festival (Feb. 24, 2024), a traditional holiday that celebrates family reunion and ancestral worship, China unveiled the official names of its new vehicles for its future crewed lunar exploration missions. The crewed spacecraft is called Mengzhou (Chinese: 梦舟; pinyin: mèng zhōu), meaning “Dream Vessel”, which indicates the role of the spacecraft in realizing the dream of landing on the moon and exploring new frontiers in space. The crewed lunar lander is named "Lanyue" (Chinese: 揽月; pinyin: lǎn yuè), meaning “Embracing the Moon”, which signifies the aspiration and vision of China to explore the lunar frontier and establish a permanent presence there. ^[9][8]