CASC / CMSA · In Development · cn · Crew Spacecraft
Mengzhou
China's next-gen reusable crew capsule; 6–7 seats for station and future lunar crew transport.
Verified 2026-09-24
Subsystems
Modular two-capsule architecture: return capsule + service capsule; propulsion architecture not publicly enumerated beyond Long March-10A launch vehicle details.
The return capsule's sea landing after the 11 February 2026 max-q abort test was China's first sea recovery of a crewed-spacecraft return capsule.
Will dock with Tiangong radial port on maiden orbital mission.
Specs & Metrics
- Crew Capacity ↑ better
- 6 seats
- Up to 6–7 taikonauts
- Maximum number of crew members the vehicle can carry on a nominal mission.
Program roadmap
- achieved
Zero-altitude escape flight test
2025-06-17↗ - achieved
Long March 10 low-altitude demonstration flight with a Mengzhou maximum-dynamic-pressure escape test
2026-02-11↗ - slipped
Mengzhou-1 maiden orbital flight on Long March 10A (docking with Tiangong); the 10A's first launch from Wenchang is now expected in 2027
2027↗