Overview
The China National Space Administration (CNSA) oversees China's civil space programme. China has achieved crewed spaceflight (2003), lunar landings (2013, 2019, 2020, 2024), Mars landing (2021) and permanent space station operations (2022–present). Activities are carried out by CNSA, CMSA and state enterprises CASC and CASIC.
Key Programmes
Tiangong: China's permanently crewed space station — 3 modules, ~100 tonnes, at ~390 km altitude.
Chang'e: Lunar programme. Chang'e 5 returned samples (2020), Chang'e 6 returned far-side samples (2024) — a world first. Chang'e 7–8 target the south pole for the International Lunar Research Station.
Tianwen: Mars programme. Tianwen-1 landed a rover in 2021. Tianwen-3 aims for Mars sample return.
BeiDou: Global navigation — 45 satellites, independent of GPS/GLONASS/Galileo.
Guowang & Qianfan: Two LEO broadband constellations totalling 26,000+ planned satellites.
Key Facts
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founded | 22 April 1993 |
| Headquarters | Beijing |
| Launch Sites | Jiuquan, Xichang, Taiyuan, Wenchang |
| Crewed Spaceflight | Yes — Shenzhou, Tiangong |