Next-Generation Crew Vehicle Looks Strikingly Similar to CST-100 and Orion
As China continues to work on the construction of a manned space station in the LEO for 2020, they are also working on a next-generation crew vehicle, which can transport crew or cargo to the Moon, Lagrange Points, Near Earth Asteroids and Mars.
The two versions of the Chinese next-generation crew vehicle. Source: SinoDefence
The unnamed vehicle, which could launch as soon as 2020, would abandon the Soyuz-like design of the Shenzhou spacecraft which has been the mainstay of the Chinese space program since its inception.
Instead, the new design calls for a conical crew module above a cylindrical service module, similar to the Orion and CST-100 Starliner spacecraft, as well as the earlier Apollo spacecraft.
The multipurpose vehicle would be launched aboard either the CZ-7 or CZ-5 rocket launcher, both expected to fly in 2016.
The CZ-7 has a payload capacity of 14 tonnes to LEO, while the CZ-5 has a payload capacity of 25 tonnes. Both launchers are currently in development, and will require further modifications to become man-rated.
The Chinese vehicle would be able to hold up to six people, and splash down in the ocean.
