China Manned Space Agency (abbreviated as CMSA) is a government agency of

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

responsible for the administration of

China Manned Space Program The China Manned Space Program (CMS; ), also known as Project 921 () is a space program developed by the People's Republic of China and run by the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) under the Equipment Development Department of the Central Militar ...

, the Chinese

human spaceflight Human spaceflight (also referred to as manned spaceflight or crewed spaceflight) is spaceflight with a crew or passengers aboard a spacecraft, often with the spacecraft being operated directly by the onboard human crew. Spacecraft can also be ...

program. The agency is under the Equipment Development Department of the Central Military Commission.

Name

The native name of the organization () was initially translated into English as "China Manned Space Engineering Office" as of 2014. However, ever since 2015, the name "China Manned Space Agency" has been used in official statements and news-releases till date. It is also the name displayed on the official website of

Functions

China Manned Space Agency represents the Chinese government to take management responsibilities for the China Manned Space Program. CMSA's functions including development strategy, planning, overall technology, research and production, infrastructure construction, flight missions organization and implementation, utilization and promotion, international cooperation and news-release, etc.

Organizational structure

CMSA consists of the following divisions: * Integrated Planning & Management Division * Scientific Program & Quality Control Division * Utilization & Development Division * Infrastructure Construction Division * System Division

Taikonauts

As of October 2024, twenty-four Chinese taikonauts have traveled to space (in alphabetical order):
File:航天员蔡旭哲 Cai Xuzhe.jpg, Cai Xuzhe (蔡旭哲) File:航天员陈冬 Chen Dong.jpg, Chen Dong (陈冬) File:Deng Qingming (cropped).jpg, Deng Qingming (邓清明) File:Dyor Fei Junlong.jpg,

Fei Junlong Major general Fei Junlong (; born 5 May 1965) is a Chinese military pilot and taikonaut. He was the commander of Shenzhou 6, the second crewed spaceflight of China's space program, and was selected as commander for the Shenzhou 15 mission to ...

(费俊龙) File:GuiHaichao01.jpg, Gui Haichao (桂海潮) File:神舟十七号 Shenzhou 17 江新林 Jiang Xinlin 20231026.jpg, Jiang Xinlin (蒋新林) File:Jing Haipeng.JPG,

Jing Haipeng Jing Haipeng (; born 24 October 1966) is a major general of the People's Liberation Army Ground Force (PLAGF) in active service as a vice-commander of the 82nd Group Army. A fighter pilot in the PLA Air Force (PLAAF), he was selected to be ...

(景海鹏) File:李聪.png, Li Cong (李聪) File:李广苏.png, Li Guangsu (李广苏) File:Liu Boming.JPG, Liu Boming (刘伯明) File:LIU Wang CUHK 2012.JPG, Liu Wang (刘旺) File:LIU Yang CUHK 2012.JPG, Liu Yang (刘洋) File:Nie Haisheng 2010 Somalia stamp.jpg,

Nie Haisheng Nie Haisheng (born 13 October 1964) is a major general of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Strategic Support Force (PLASSF) in active service as an taikonaut and the third commander (unit chief) of the People's Liberation Army Astronaut Co ...

(聂海胜) File:Song Lingdong.jpg, Song Lingdong (宋令东) File:Tang Hongbo.jpg, Tang Hongbo (汤洪波) File:神舟十七号 Shenzhou 17 唐胜杰 Tang Shengjie 20231026.jpg, Tang Shengjie (唐胜杰) File:Wang Haoze at Shenzhou-19 press conference.png, Wang Haoze (王浩泽) File:Wang Yaping in 2021.jpg,

Wang Yaping Wang Yaping (; born January 1980) is a Chinese military transport pilot and taikonaut. Wang was the second female taikonaut selected to the People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps, the second Chinese woman in space, and the first Chinese ...

(王亚平) File:Yang Liwei 2010 Somalia stamp.jpg,

Yang Liwei Yang Liwei (; born 21 June 1965) is a Chinese major general, former military pilot, and former taikonaut of the People's Liberation Army. In October 2003, Yang became the first person sent into space by the Chinese space program. This missi ...

(杨利伟) File:Ye Guangfu in 2021.jpg,

Ye Guangfu Ye Guangfu ( zh, s=叶光富, p=Yè Guāngfù; born September 1980) is a Chinese fighter pilot and People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps (PLAAC) taikonaut selected as part of the Shenzhou program. A veteran of the Shenzhou 13 and Shenzhou 1 ...

(叶光富) File:Zhai Zhigang.JPG,

Zhai Zhigang Zhai Zhigang (; born 11 October 1966) is a Chinese major general of the People's Liberation Army Strategic Support Force (PLASSF) in active service as a People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps (PLAAC) taikonaut. During the Shenzhou 7 missio ...

(翟志刚) File:Zhang Lu (cropped).jpg, Zhang Lu (张陆) File:Zhang Xiaoguang.jpg, Zhang Xiaoguang (张晓光) File:ZhuYangzhu.jpg, Zhu Yangzhu (朱杨柱)

International cooperation

In 2016,

United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) is an office of the U.N. Secretariat that promotes and facilitates peaceful international cooperation in outer space. It works to establish or strengthen the legal and regulatory fram ...

(UNOOSA) and CMSA agreed to increased space cooperation via opportunities on-board China's future

space station A space station (or orbital station) is a spacecraft which remains orbital spaceflight, in orbit and human spaceflight, hosts humans for extended periods of time. It therefore is an artificial satellite featuring space habitat (facility), habitat ...

. In 2018, UNOOSA and CMSA invited the applications from United Nations Member States to conduct experiments on-board China's Space Station. On 12 June 2019, UNOOSA and CMSA announced the winners of the selected experiments to be boarded onto the space station.

References

External links

* {{Portal bar, China, Spaceflight Space program of the People's Republic of China Corps grade units of the armed forces of China