Shenzhou 6

Shenzhou 6

Diagram of the Shenzhou capsule-stack, without deployed orbit module solar cells
Operator	CMSA
COSPAR ID	2005-040A
SATCAT no.	28879
Mission duration	4 days, 19 hours, 33 minutes
Orbits completed	76[1]
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type	Shenzhou
Crew
Crew size	2
Members	Fèi Jùnlóng Niè Hǎishèng
Start of mission
Launch date	October 12, 2005, 01:00:05.583 (2005-10-12UTC01:00:05Z) UTC
Rocket	Chang Zheng 2F
Launch site	Jiuquan LA-4/SLS-1
End of mission
Landing date	October 16, 2005, 20:33 (2005-10-16UTC20:34Z) UTC
Landing site	Amugulang pasture, Hongger Township Siziwang Banner, Inner Mongolia[vague]
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Low Earth
(L-R) Jùnlóng and Hǎishèng Shenzhou missions ← Shenzhou 5 Shenzhou 7 →

Shenzhou 6 (Chinese: 神舟六号; pinyin: Shénzhōu lìuhào) was the second human spaceflight of the Chinese space program, launched on October 12, 2005, on a Long March 2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The Shenzhou spacecraft carried a crew of Fèi Jùnlóng (费俊龙) and Niè Hǎishèng (聂海胜) for five days in low Earth orbit. It launched three days before the second anniversary of China's first human spaceflight, Shenzhou 5.

The crew were able to change out of their new lighter space suits, conduct scientific experiments, and enter the orbital module for the first time, giving them access to toilet facilities. The exact activities of the crew were kept secret but were thought by some to include military reconnaissance, however this is likely untrue given that similar experiments in the US and USSR determined that humans in space are not suited for military reconnaissance.^[2] It landed in the Siziwang Banner of Inner Mongolia on October 16, 2005, the same site as the previous crewed and uncrewed Shenzhou flights.