Shenzhou and Tianzhou, what are the differences between them?

How much do you know about the Shenzhou manned spacecraft and the Tianzhou cargo spacecraft? Have you participated in the 2023 manned space flight mission logo solicitation activity? They both have the same name, "Zhou", but what are the differences? Let's take a preliminary look today.

Naming, Chinese romance

● In 1993, all units involved in the development of spacecraft received a notice to "collect names for Chinese spacecraft". Soon, many names with Chinese characteristics such as "Huaxia", "Jiuzhou", "Tenglong" and "Shenzhou" were recommended. In early 1994, the name "Shenzhou" finally stood out from many proposals. From then on, China's independently manufactured manned spacecraft had a name - "Shenzhou" .

Shenzhou manned spacecraft return capsule

● In April 2011, the name solicitation activity for China's cargo spacecraft was officially launched to the public. During this period, names such as "Tiansuo", "Kunpeng", "Tianzhou", "Shenlong", "Longzhou" and "Shenji" stood out. After extensively soliciting opinions and suggestions from project leaders, experts and developers, and after repeated research, the China Manned Space Engineering Office finally decided to name the cargo spacecraft "Tianzhou" .

Tianzhou cargo spacecraft

Transport, different functions

● The main function of the Shenzhou manned spacecraft is to transport astronaut crews into space orbit and return them safely to the ground , and it has the ability to transport a small amount of payload up/down.

Astronauts in the Shenzhou manned spacecraft

The return capsule of the Shenzhou XIV manned spacecraft

● The main function of the Tianzhou cargo spacecraft is to carry up supplies for astronauts, extravehicular suits and other consumable materials for extravehicular activities ; to carry maintenance spare parts and propellants to ensure the safe operation of the platform, various payloads and samples for application missions; and to carry down in-orbit waste.

The Long March 7 Y5 carrier rocket carrying the Tianzhou 4 cargo spacecraft ignites and launches at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in my country

Tianzhou-2 controlled re-entry

Launch, lift off from two locations

● The desert Gobi is cold and windy. Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center witnessed the launch of the Shenzhou series of manned spacecraft.

Snow scene at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center

Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center

The Shenzhou 15 manned spacecraft was successfully launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center

● The coconut-lined island is sunny and windy. The Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan Province witnessed the launch of the Tianzhou series of cargo spacecraft.

Wenchang Space Launch Center located on the seaside

Transmission tower on the seaside

The Long March 7 Yao-6 carrier rocket carrying the Tianzhou-5 cargo spacecraft ignites and launches at the Wenchang Space Launch Center

Configuration, three-cabin vs. two-cabin

● Basic configuration of Shenzhou manned spacecraft

As a spacecraft that goes back and forth between the earth and the sky, the basic configuration of the Shenzhou manned spacecraft is a three-cabin configuration, and the cabin sections are connected in a way that can be separated during flight. Taking the spacecraft configuration in the space station stage as an example, the entire ship consists of an orbital cabin, a return cabin, and a propulsion cabin .

Shenzhou manned spacecraft configuration

Schematic diagram of the Shenzhou manned spacecraft

● Basic configuration of Tianzhou cargo spacecraft

The overall configuration design of the Tianzhou cargo spacecraft is based on the two-cabin configuration plan of the Tiangong space laboratory. It fully inherits the existing technical achievements of the Tiangong space laboratory, maintains the advantages of large cabin volume and strong loading capacity, and consists of a cargo cabin and a propulsion cabin .

Tianzhou cargo spacecraft configuration

Schematic diagram of the Tianzhou cargo spacecraft

Docking, different ports

● 2023 manned flight mission

It is planned to launch the Shenzhou 16 manned spacecraft in May 2023 and dock it with the radial port of the Tianhe core module to form a three-cabin and three-ship combination (Tianhe core module, Wentian laboratory module, Mengtian laboratory module, Shenzhou 15 manned spacecraft, Shenzhou 16 manned spacecraft, Tianzhou 6 cargo spacecraft); it is planned to launch the Shenzhou 17 manned spacecraft in October to dock it with the forward port of the Tianhe core module to form a three-cabin and three-ship combination (Tianhe core module, Wentian laboratory module, Mengtian laboratory module, Shenzhou 16 manned spacecraft, Shenzhou 17 manned spacecraft, Tianzhou 6 cargo spacecraft).

1 is the Shenzhou manned spacecraft docked at the radial port of the core module, 2 is the Shenzhou manned spacecraft docked at the forward port of the core module, and 3 is the Tianzhou cargo spacecraft docked at the rear port of the core module.

● 2023 Tianzhou cargo spacecraft flight mission

It is planned to launch the Tianzhou-VI cargo spacecraft in May 2023 and dock it with the rear port of the Tianhe core module to form a three-cabin and two-ship combination (Tianhe core module, Wentian laboratory module, Mengtian laboratory module, Shenzhou-15 manned spacecraft, and Tianzhou-VI cargo spacecraft).

The Tianzhou cargo spacecraft docks at the rear port of the Tianhe core module

After reading the above introduction, do you have a preliminary understanding of the Shenzhou manned spacecraft and the Tianzhou cargo spacecraft? The 2023 manned space flight mission logo collection activity has recently been launched, come and participate! Use your creativity, maybe you will be selected~