Shenzhou 20
Launch of Shenzhou 20 | |
| Mission type | Tiangong space station crew transport |
|---|---|
| Operator | China Manned Space Agency |
| COSPAR ID | 2025-082A |
| SATCAT no. | 63632 |
| Mission duration | 269 days, 16 hours and 16 minutes |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | Shenzhou |
| Manufacturer | China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 3 |
| Launching | Chen Dong Chen Zhongrui Wang Jie |
| Landing | None |
| EVAs | 4 |
| EVA duration | 27 hours, 33 minutes |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 24 April 2025, 09:17:31 UTC |
| Rocket | Long March 2F |
| Launch site | Jiuquan, LA-4/SLS |
| Contractor | China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | 19 January 2026, 01:34 UTC |
| Landing site | Inner Mongolia |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Perigee altitude | 379 km (235 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 389 km (242 mi) |
| Inclination | 41.47° |
| Docking with Tiangong space station | |
| Docking port | Tianhe nadir |
| Docking date | 24 April 2025, 15:49 UTC |
| Undocking date | 18 January 2026, 16:23 UTC |
| Time docked | 269 days and 34 minutes |
Mission patch From left: Jie, Dong and Zhongrui | |
Shenzhou 20 (Chinese: 神舟二十号; pinyin: Shénzhōu èrshí-hào; lit. 'Divine Boat Number 20') was a Chinese spaceflight mission to the Tiangong space station launched on 24 April 2025. It carried three taikonauts on board a Shenzhou spacecraft.
Shenzhou 20 was expected to return to Earth in early November 2025 after the arrival of the Shenzhou 21 crew. However, due to suspected space debris damage to the spacecraft, the Shenzhou 20 crew returned to Earth on 14 November using the Shenzhou 21 spacecraft instead. The Shenzhou 20 spacecraft returned to Earth uncrewed on 19 January 2026.
The mission was the 15th crewed Chinese spaceflight and the 20th flight overall of the Shenzhou program.