Mengzhou (spacecraft)

Mengzhou, Chinese for Dream Vessel, is a crewed spacecraft that China is developing to carry astronauts to the Tiangong space station and on lunar missions. It was formerly called the Next-Generation Crewed Spacecraft and is being developed by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. The design pairs a crew module that returns to Earth with an expendable service module that supplies propulsion, solar power and life support, and it has a seven-astronaut capacity. A near-Earth version is meant to be reusable and to replace Shenzhou on flights to Tiangong, while a lunar version is designed to enter lunar orbit and dock with the Lanyue lander, each launched separately on a Long March 10 rocket. Test flights so far include a scale capsule in 2016, a full-scale prototype on a Long March 5B in 2020 that returned to Earth after a skip re-entry, a pad abort test in 2025 and an in-flight abort test in 2026. Crewed flight capability is expected around 2027 to 2028.