China Manned Space Program
| 中国载人航天工程 Zhōngguó Zàirén Hángtiān Gōngchéng | |
 China Manned Space (CMS) Program logo which forms the shape of a space station and the character "中" in "中国" (China) | |
| Program overview | |
|---|---|
| Country | China |
| Organization | China Manned Space Agency |
| Purpose | Human spaceflight |
| Status | Active |
| Program history | |
| Duration | 21 September 1992 – present |
| First flight | Shenzhou 1 19 November 1999 |
| First crewed flight | Shenzhou 5 15 October 2003 |
| Last flight | Shenzhou 23 24 May 2026 (most recent) |
| Successes | 37 |
| Partial failures | 1 |
| Launch site | Jiuquan · Wenchang |
| Vehicle information | |
| Uncrewed vehicle | Tianzhou |
| Crewed vehicle | Shenzhou |
| Crew capacity | 3 |
| Launch vehicle(s) | Long March 2F Long March 7 Long March 5B |
The China Manned Space Program (CMS; Chinese: 中国载人航天工程; pinyin: Zhōngguó Zàirén Hángtiān Gōngchéng), also known as Project 921 (Chinese: 九二一工程; pinyin: Jiǔèryī Gōngchéng) is a space program developed by the People's Republic of China and run by the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) under the Equipment Development Department of the Central Military Commission, designed to develop and enhance human spaceflight capabilities for China. As of 2026, China has conducted 16 crewed spaceflight launches, all using the Shenzhou spacecraft atop the Long March 2F rocket, the most recent being Shenzhou 23.
Approved on 21 September 1992, Wang Yongzhi served as its first chief designer until 2006. The current chief designer is Zhou Jianping. CMSA is headed by the director of the Equipment Development Department, currently General Xu Xueqiang.
CMS was divided into "three steps":
- Development of a crewed spacecraft to establish basic human spaceflight capabilities (Shenzhou 1–6)
- Development of spacewalk equipment and techniques, along with the launch of space laboratories to support short-duration crewed missions and the development of rendezvous and docking techniques (Shenzhou 7–11)
- Development of a modular space station station to support long-duration crewed space operations (Shenzhou 12–15)
CMS achieved all three steps, with Shenzhou 5 in 2003, Shenzhou 9 docking with Tiangong-1 in 2012, and the assembly of the Tiangong space station by 2022. China thus became the third nation to achieve human spaceflight and operate a space station (after the Soviet Union/Russia and the United States). The CMSA has planned crewed lunar missions from 2030 under the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program, set to use the Mengzhou orbiter and Lanyue lander, atop the Long March 10.