SHÉNZHŌU (神舟) — China, 1999/2003

This is broadly a copy of the Soyuz, based on technology shared by Russia, only with a lot of improvements, most notably a little more room in every dimension. It has a lengthened cylindrical orbital module which bumps the habitable space up to 14 cubic meters, and the mass to eight tons. In some versions, the orbital module can detach and move autonomously, and be docked with again on a second flight. The service module is enhanced over the Soyuz, with more motors and much bigger solar arrays. The descent module remains Soyuz-like, and seats three “taikonauts”. The space suits they wear are also based on designs shared by Russia, modernized and improved.

You might say it compares to a Soyuz like a 2005 Ford GT compares to an original GT40 from the sixties. The extra room, especially in the orbital module, makes it the only current spacecraft to exceed four cubic meters of habitable space per passenger.

Since it lands the same way a Soyuz does, by descending under a single parachute and then using a short rocket blast to cushion the last meter of descent before hitting the dirt, the experience is similarly rough, and is probably just as prone to inflicting injuries on the passengers. (The first taikonaut, Yang Liwei (杨利伟), still has a scar from when his capsule hit the ground.) In 2023 a Shenzhou landing on a windy day got a tear in its chute and then tumbled head over heat shield after touching the ground. They got everyone out largely uninjured, but I doubt any of them were feeling ready for a game of hoops.

Unlike the Long March rocket, the name Shenzhou is not usually translated when given in English. It can be translated as “heavenly vessel” — a lot of their space stuff uses the “shén” root word, which in other contexts might translate more as “divine” or “spirit”, or even “magic”. The name shénzhōu happens to be homophonic with an ancient name for China itself, 神州, which meant “divine state” or “divine land”. (Zhōu meaning boat or craft and zhōu meaning territory or region are pronounced the same in Han but written differently, as is the common surname derived from the ancient Zhōu dynasty, and the word for congee porridge — four different written characters.)

Through September 2024, there have been a total of 13 crewed Shenzhou flights, all successful, with 35 occupied seats. (There were also five uncrewed flights.) Before their space station went up, they made just six flights across 18 years, but now they’re going about twice a year, and that may increase.