In 2026, China Will Launch a Reusable Spacecraft 0 7

Next year, China will launch a new generation crewed spacecraft. It is named "Mengtian-1," which translates to "Dream Ship – 1" in Russian.

As officials from the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) told reporters, "Mengtian" is developed based on a comprehensive modernization of the Chinese crewed spacecraft "Shenzhou." It features a modular design consisting of a return capsule and a service module, and will facilitate the transportation of crews between Earth and the Chinese space station "Tiangong" ("Heavenly Palace").

The first flight of "Mengtian-1" will be conducted using the "Changzheng-10A" ("Long March-10A") launch vehicle. It is already known that the spacecraft will launch from the Wenchang spaceport in Hainan province and will dock in orbit with the radial port of the main module of the space station. The mission will allow for testing the functionality of all spacecraft systems, as well as delivering instruments and materials to the station for environmental condition assessment, payload for technology validation, crew necessities, and experimental instruments for applied scientific research.

This will be China's first reusable crewed spacecraft, developed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. Its purpose is to transport people to Earth orbit and the Moon.

A full-scale prototype of this spacecraft, "Shenlong," made its first uncrewed flight on May 5, 2020. The first crewed flights of the spacecraft are scheduled for 2027–2028.