# Shenzhou 4

> 2002 Chinese uncrewed spaceflight

**Wikidata**: [Q726583](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q726583)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shenzhou_4)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/shenzhou-4

## Summary
Shenzhou 4 was an uncrewed spaceflight launched by China on December 29, 2002, as part of the China Manned Space Program. It was the fourth test flight of the Shenzhou spacecraft and the final uncrewed precursor to the country's first human spaceflight mission. The mission successfully completed 108 orbits over nearly seven days before landing on January 5, 2003.

## Key Facts
*   **Entity Type:** Uncrewed spaceflight (Instance of Shenzhou spacecraft class).
*   **Launch Date:** December 29, 2002.
*   **Landing Date:** January 5, 2003 (11:16), located at coordinates 42.52°N, 111.38°E.
*   **Operator:** China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
*   **Launch Vehicle:** Long March 2F.
*   **Launch Site:** Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.
*   **Orbital Statistics:** Completed 108 orbits around Earth as a satellite of low Earth orbit.
*   **Mission Sequence:** Followed Shenzhou 3 and was followed by Shenzhou 5 (the first crewed mission).
*   **Identifiers:** COSPAR ID 2002-061A; SCN 27630.

## FAQs
### Q: Was Shenzhou 4 a crewed mission?
A: No, Shenzhou 4 was an uncrewed spaceflight. It served as the final test flight before Shenzhou 5, which became China's first mission with a human crew.

### Q: When did Shenzhou 4 launch and land?
A: The mission launched on December 29, 2002, from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center and landed successfully on January 5, 2003.

### Q: What was the purpose of the Shenzhou 4 mission?
A: As part of the China Manned Space Program, Shenzhou 4 was designed to test the spacecraft systems and Long March 2F launch vehicle in preparation for future human spaceflight.

## Why It Matters
Shenzhou 4 represents a critical final rehearsal in the history of the Chinese space program. As the immediate predecessor to Shenzhou 5—the mission that made China only the third nation to independently send humans into space—Shenzhou 4 validated the technologies and procedures necessary for crewed flight. Operating under the China Manned Space Program and managed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, this mission demonstrated the reliability of the Shenzhou spacecraft class and the Long March 2F launch vehicle. The successful completion of 108 orbits and a precise landing in January 2003 provided the confidence required to proceed with the historic first human launch later that year.

## Notable For
*   Being the immediate precursor to the first Chinese human spaceflight (Shenzhou 5).
*   Completing a fully successful 7-day mission with 108 orbits.
*   Utilizing the Long March 2F launch vehicle, the standard for crewed Chinese missions.
*   Testing the final configuration of the Shenzhou spacecraft before carrying astronauts.
*   Operating under the broader framework of the China Manned Space Program.

## Body
### Mission Overview
Shenzhou 4 was an uncrewed mission launched by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. It is classified as an instance of the Shenzhou spacecraft series. The mission launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center and entered low Earth orbit.

### Timeline and Sequence
*   **Launch:** The mission began on December 29, 2002, facilitated by a Long March 2F rocket.
*   **Duration:** The spacecraft remained in orbit for nearly seven days.
*   **Landing:** Shenzhou 4 concluded its mission with a landing on January 5, 2003, at 11:16. The landing site was located at latitude 42.5166° and longitude 111.3833°.

### Program Context
The flight was a component of the China Manned Space Program. In the mission sequence, Shenzhou 4 followed Shenzhou 3 (launched earlier in 2002) and preceded Shenzhou 5 in 2003. While Shenzhou 4 was uncrewed, its successor, Shenzhou 5, marked the milestone of the first human spaceflight for the Chinese space program.

### Technical Identifiers
*   **COSPAR ID:** 2002-061A
*   **Satellite Catalog Number (SCN):** 27630
*   **Wolfram Language Entity Code:** Entity["Satellite", "27630"]

## Schema Markup
```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Thing",
  "name": "Shenzhou 4",
  "description": "2002 Chinese uncrewed spaceflight and final test precursor to the first Chinese human spaceflight mission.",
  "sameAs": [
    "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q44584",
    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shenzhou_4"
  ],
  "additionalType": "SpaceMission"
}

## References

1. Jonathan's Space Report
2. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013