China Aerospace officially released the "2026 Manned Space Flight Mission Logo Collection Announcement" today.These include the Tianzhou-10 mission, the Shenzhou-22 manned mission, the Shenzhou-23 manned mission, and the Mengzhou-1 mission. This is also a formal confirmation that Mengzhou-1 will be launched in 2026.
The Mengzhou manned spacecraft is my country's new generation of manned space-to-ground transportation aircraft. It was developed by the Fifth Academy of the Aerospace Science and Technology Group Corporation. It adopts a modular design and consists of two cabins: a return capsule and a service module.It has been comprehensively upgraded based on Shenzhou spacecraft technology and can meet the needs of space missions at different depths through flexible configuration.
In June this year, my country successfully organized and implemented the zero-altitude escape flight test of the Mengzhou manned spacecraft at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, which is an important sign that the spacecraft has completed the preliminary design.
It is reported that Mengzhou spacecraft plans two core models:
The near-Earth version can support the operation of the Chinese Space Station and can carry up to 7 astronauts to and from the ground and low-Earth orbit.
The moon landing version serves manned lunar exploration missions and can carry three astronauts through the earth and moon space.
According to Li Zhijie of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation: The Mengzhou spacecraft is mainly a two-cabin structure, with a return capsule plus a service module, and an escape tower. This is a design difference that will greatly improve the comfort, passenger capacity, and cargo capacity of our Mengzhou spacecraft.
In terms of use, the Mengzhou spacecraft return capsule has the ability to be reused multiple times, which can greatly save costs and improve some efficiency.
