Shensuo
| Mission type | Heliosphere science, planetary flyby |
|---|---|
| Operator | Chinese National Space Administration |
| Mission duration | 25 years (planned) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | Proposed: TBD |
| Flyby of Earth (gravity assist) | |
| Closest approach | TBD |
| Flyby of Earth (gravity assist) | |
| Closest approach | TBD |
| Flyby of Jupiter | |
| Closest approach | TBD |
| Flyby of 50000 Quaoar (proposed) | |
| Closest approach | TBD |
| Distance | TBD |
Shensuo (Chinese: 神梭; pinyin: Shénsuō), formerly Interstellar Express, is a proposed Chinese National Space Administration program designed to explore the heliosphere and interstellar space. The program will feature two or three space probes that were initially planned to be launched in 2024 and follow differing trajectories to encounter Jupiter to assist them out of the Solar System. As of 2026, the mission calls for two launches in 2032 and 2033, to the "tail" and "nose" structures of the stellar-wind bubble, respectively.
The probes are proposed for launch on the Long March 5 and will require China to develop a space-based thermoelectric fission reactor. Flybys of Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, are possible, but the focus is on gravity assists from Earth and Jupiter, and heliosphere science.
| Mission type | Heliosphere science, planetary flyby |
|---|---|
| Operator | Chinese National Space Administration |
| Mission duration | 25 years (planned) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | TBD |
| Flyby of Earth (gravity assist) | |
| Closest approach | TBD |
| Flyby of Earth (gravity assist) | |
| Closest approach | TBD |
| Flyby of Jupiter | |
| Closest approach | TBD |
| Flyby of Neptune | |
| Closest approach | TBD |
| Distance | 1,000 km |
| Flyby of Triton | |
| Closest approach | TBD |
| Distance | TBD |
| Flyby of Kuiper belt object (TBD) | |
| Closest approach | TBD |
| Distance | TBD |