How many missions does Tracker-1 track for CNSA?

Tracker-1 tracks 3 mission(s) related to CNSA: Tianwen-2, Tiangong, Tianwen-1 / Zhurong.

What types of spacecraft explore CNSA?

The catalog includes 2 spacecraft type(s) for CNSA: probe, station.

Which scientists work on CNSA missions?

5 scientist(s) are associated with CNSA missions in the catalog, including Ming Gao, Yang Hong, Ye Peijian, Zhang Rongqiao, Zhou Jianping.

Learn

CNSA

This topic page brings together every mission in the TRACKER-1 catalog in which the CNSA agency participates. Here you will find spacecraft, discoveries, associated scientists and documented impact.

Full name

China National Space Administration

Founded

1993

Headquarters

Beijing : coastal launch base (Wenchang on Hainan Island) and inland bases (Jiuquan, Xichang, Taiyuan)

Reporting to

People's Republic of China : government agency reporting to the State Council, under the supervision of the State Administration for Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (SASTIND).

How it works

CNSA was created in 1993, when China separated the management of its civil space program from the military. The Chinese space program relies on CASC (China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation), a state-owned enterprise that designs and manufactures Long March launchers and spacecraft. CNSA sets policy and coordinates international cooperation. China has developed a comprehensive program: crewed flights (Shenzhou, Tiangong station), lunar exploration (Chang'e, with first sample return from the far side), Mars (Tianwen-1 and Zhurong rover), Sun and Earth observation.

Funding & budget

The Chinese space program is funded by the state through the national budget. China's space budget is estimated at several billion USD per year (≈ $14 billion estimated in 2023), strongly growing, but detailed official figures are not published as transparently as for NASA or ESA.

Key facts

China has become a major space player: third country to independently send a human into space (Yang Liwei, 2003), first sample return mission from the far side of the Moon (Chang'e 6, 2024), Mars rover Zhurong (2021) and crewed space station Tiangong. CNSA cooperates with ESA, Roscosmos and emerging partners, but is excluded from the ISS by U.S. policy (Wolf amendment).