Shenzhou 4

Shenzhou 4 (Chinese神舟 四号) started on 29 December 2002 and was the fourth test of the unmanned Shenzhou spacecraft. The flight served as a dress rehearsal for a manned mission to the People's Republic of China. Equipped with all the necessary subsystems given through the successful test finally the green light for the next manned mission, Shenzhou 5 was located on board the ship again an extensive collection of a total of 52 experiments and scientific payloads, specifically in the areas of astrophysics, earth observation, microgravity and biotechnology. But the most striking experiment was attached to the outer shell laser reflector, with which the sea level could be calculated to the nearest millimeter.

Several taikonauts had previously coached the entry and operation of the control. The course of the spaceship was also planned so that a rendezvous with a second Shenzhou spacecraft would have been possible. The landing took place after 108 Earth orbits or six days and 18 hours of flight on 5 January 2003, compared clock 11.16 UTC, 40 kilometers from Hohhot in Inner Mongolia. Were necessary during the flight, however, two larger and more complex path corrections. On board also astronaut food and personal equipment were stowed.