CASC Long March 2F Shenzhou-2
Long March 2F
Status
Success
Date
9 JAN 2001
17:00
Launch Provider
China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation
Launch Pad
Launch Area 91 (SLS-1 / 921)
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Mission Overview
Second test flight of the Shenzhou spacecraft, without crew on board. A monkey, a dog, and a rabbit were carried in a test of the spaceship's life support systems. There were also 64 different scientific payloads, including a microgravity crystallography experiment; animal species including six mice, small aquatic and terrestrial organisms; cosmic ray and particle detectors and gamma-ray burst detectors. To test the radio transmitting systems taped messages were broadcast from the spacecraft. During return to Earth the parachutes failed to open upon re-entry, which resulted in a hard landing of the descent capsule.
Rocket
Long March 2F
Mission Type
Human Exploration
Orbit
Low Earth Orbit
Stages
2
Livestream
Not availableRocket Details
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.
Height
62 m
Diameter
3.35 m
Launch Mass
464 T
Thrust
5,985 kN