LAUNCH OF UNCREWED SHENZHOU-22, Nov 24, 2025?, Jiuquan, China, 11:10 pm ET?

China is preparing to launch an uncrewed Shenzhou-22 to the Tiangong space station as a replacement for the damaged Shenzhou-20 capsule currently docked there.

The Shenzhou-20 crew used the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft that delivered their replacements to the space station as their way home, leaving the damaged capsule docked to the space station. Now the Shenzhou-21 crew needs a usable spacecraft both as a lifeboat as they complete their six month mission (which began October 31) and for their own trip home in the spring.

Shenzhou-22 would have been used to launch the next crew in the spring, but the launch is being accelerated and only cargo will be onboard.

As is typical, China is providing little information, but journalist Andrew Jones in Helsinki, Finland, who closely follows China’s space program, reports that airspace closures over the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi desert suggest that the launch is planned for November 25 at 04:10 UTC, which is November 24, 11:10 pm EST.

Shenzhou-22: launch of SZ-22 on a Long March 2F set for ~04:10 UTC Nov. 25 from Jiuquan, according to airspace closure notices. This will be uncrewed, carry cargo, but most importantly it’s the lifeboat for the Shenzhou-21 crew aboard Tiangong. https://t.co/xB8RKfS7E9

— Andrew Jones (@AJ_FI) November 17, 2025

The information is unofficial until China confirms it, usually about 24 hours before a launch. We’ll update this entry with any additional information we get.