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China Aerospace Science and Technology CorporationLong March 2FLaunch Area 91 (SLS-1 / 921), Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Shenzhou-4
Launched
December 29, 2002
Summary
Shenzhou-4 launched on a China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Long March 2F from Launch Area 91 (SLS-1 / 921), Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China on December 29, 2002. It was China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation's 13th launch, 5th this year and humanity's 4,575th orbital launch attempt. It was the 4th Long March 2F flight and the 2nd this year. The payload was bound for low Earth orbit (LEO). Shenzhou 4, one of 3 catalogued objects, reached a 205 × 339 km orbit inclined 42.4°. The spacecraft was Shenzhou 4 (4). 3 objects from this launch are catalogued, 2 of them payloads.
- Watch
- No webcast on record.
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Human Exploration · Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
- Milestone
- 4th Long March 2F flight · 2nd this yearChina Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation's 13th launch5th this yearhumanity's 4,575th orbital launch attempt64th orbital launch attempt this year
Spacecraft
Shenzhou 4 (4)
The spacecraft was equipped for a manned flight, even featuring a sleeping bag, food, and medication. The windows were constructed of a new material that was designed to stay clear even after reentry to allow an astronaut to confirm that the parachutes have deployed properly. It was said that the spacecraft flown on Shenzhou 4 had no major differences to that used on Shenzhou 5. It flew with the ability for manual control and emergency landing, systems needed for a manned flight. A week before the launch, astronauts trained in the spacecraft to familiarise themselves with its systems.
- Destination: Low Earth Orbit
- Mission length: 6 days 18 hours
The Shenzhou 4 spacecraft landed in the Dorbnod Banner in Inner Mongolia, China.
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
Shenzhou 4 · NORAD 27630 · 2002-061 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 3 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- SZ-4
- Object ID
- 2002-061A
- Epoch
- 2002-12-29 23:47:28 UTC
- Mean motion
- 16.03477566 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.010049
- Inclination
- 42.4085°
- Ascending node
- 338.1747°
- Arg. of perigee
- 131.408°
- Mean anomaly
- 229.5479°
- Element set
- 999
- Rev at epoch
- 5
- B*
- 0
Perigee, apogee and period are Kepler figures from the catalogued mean elements, not a propagated state. Published orbit: LEO. Ascent drawn from padside's representative profile.
Catalogued objects
3 catalogued: 2 payloads, 1 rocket stage; none still in orbit
- Shenzhou 4 · NORAD 27630 · landed January 5, 2003
- Shenzhou 4 Guidao Cang · NORAD 27634 · re-entered September 9, 2003
CZ-2F Y4 Stage 2 · re-entered January 9, 2003
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
Fourth and final test flight of the Shenzhou spacecraft, without crew on board. The spacecraft was flown in the same configuration as a crew-carrying mission, and as such two dummy astronauts were carried on board, as are sleeping bags, food and medication. The control systems were fitted with ability for manual control and emergency landing. The windows were constructed of a new material that was designed to stay clear even after reentry to allow an astronaut to confirm that the parachutes have deployed properly. The spacecraft carried 100 peony seeds to investigate the effect of weightlessness on plants grown from them. The 52 experiments onboard investigated areas in physics, biology, medicine, earth observation, material science, and astronomy.
Pad
Launch Area 91 (SLS-1 / 921), Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
4th launch from Launch Area 91 (SLS-1 / 921), 2nd this year · 32nd from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
29 launches from this pad · 299 from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
279 days after the previous launch from this pad
All launches from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of ChinaOpen in maps
Questions
When did Shenzhou-4 launch?
Shenzhou-4 launched on December 29, 2002. The time is known to the hour, not the minute.
Where can I watch Shenzhou-4?
No webcast is on record for this launch.
What rocket launched Shenzhou-4?
Long March 2F, flown by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. Long March 2F spec sheet
Where did Shenzhou-4 launch from?
Launch Area 91 (SLS-1 / 921), Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China.
What orbit did Shenzhou-4 reach?
Shenzhou 4, one of 3 catalogued objects, reached a 205 × 339 km orbit inclined 42.4°.
How many satellites did Shenzhou-4 launch?
2 payloads from this launch are catalogued, none of them still in orbit (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).
Which program is Shenzhou-4 part of?
Shenzhou. About Shenzhou