Shenzhou 8
Shenzhou 8 was an uncrewed Shenzhou mission that performed China's first orbital rendezvous and docking with the Tiangong-1 experimental space laboratory. It launched from Jiuquan on October 31, 2011 UTC, completed its first automatic docking on November 2 UTC, separated and docked a second time on November 14 UTC to verify the safety and reliability of the system, and returned to the main landing site in Inner Mongolia on November 17. The mission validated automatic rendezvous, docking, separation, upgraded spacecraft, and launch-vehicle systems before the first crewed Tiangong visit.
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Identity
- Aliases
- Shenzhou VIIIShenzhou-8Tiangong I / Shenzhou VIIIChina's First Orbital Docking Mission
- Name
- Shenzhou 8
- Status
- completed
Details
- Astronauts
- -
- Description
- Shenzhou 8 was an uncrewed Shenzhou mission that performed China's first orbital rendezvous and docking with the Tiangong-1 experimental space laboratory. It launched from Jiuquan on October 31, 2011 UTC, completed its first automatic docking on November 2 UTC, separated and docked a second time on November 14 UTC to verify the safety and reliability of the system, and returned to the main landing site in Inner Mongolia on November 17. The mission validated automatic rendezvous, docking, separation, upgraded spacecraft, and launch-vehicle systems before the first crewed Tiangong visit.
- Destination
- Tiangong-1 for uncrewed automated rendezvous and docking technology verification
- End Date
- 2011-11-17
- Launch Site
- Outcome
- Successfully completed China's first orbital rendezvous and docking mission, performing two automatic dockings with Tiangong-1, validating separation and redocking operations, and returning the uncrewed spacecraft safely to the primary landing site in Inner Mongolia.
- Programs
- Start Date
- 2011-10-31
- Vehicle Families
Links
- Official Url
- https://en.cmse.gov.cn/missions/shenzhouviii/
- Wikipedia Url
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shenzhou_8
Assets & Meta
- Creation Time
- July 16, 2026 at 21:05:17 UTC
- Updated Time
- August 22, 2026 at 01:46:20 UTC
Other
- Affiliations
- Search Name
- Shenzhou 8 Shenzhou VIII Shenzhou-8 Tiangong I / Shenzhou VIII China's First Orbital Docking Mission
- Space Stations
- Vehicles