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.
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…
The Long March 2F is a Chinese orbital carrier rocket, part of the Long March 2 rocket family. Designed to launch the crewed Shenzhou spacecraft, the Long March 2F is a human-rated two-stage version of the Long March 2E rocket, which in turn was based on the Long March 2C launch vehicle. It is launched from complex SLS at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.
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Mission Profile
Shenzhou-4 was a Long March 2F mission operated by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation that lifted off from Launch Area 91 (SLS-1 / 921), Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China on December 29, 2002. The flight carried its payload on a human exploration mission to Low Earth Orbit. It was flown as part of the Shenzhou program. The launch was a success.