A trilogy on China's manned space programme

Shenzhou, Jing & Chen, and Heavenly Palace

by Philippe Coué

A unique set of three books covering in detail China's manned space programme. A total of 437 pages starting with Shenzhou's origins, detailing mission by mission all Chinese manned space flights until the entry of the Tiangong-3 permanent space station into operational service.

Shenzhou, China in space: This book presents the history of the manned space programme of the People's Republic of China. For the first time, all Shenzhou flights are described in detail, up to Shenzhou-10.

Jing & Chen, the ballad of Shenzhou-11 taikonauts: through a chronological but lively, technical and fascinating account, Philippe Coué takes us on a 33-day journey into space with the crew of the Shenzhou-11 vessel, General Jing Haipeng and Colonel Chendong. A mission of capital importance for the Chinese space strategy, as it have enabled the validation of the necessary technologies for the implementation of the future Tiangong-3 station.

Heavenly Palace, Chinese Tiangong-3 space station goes operational : the author describes, mission after mission, the assembly and the first operational steps of the first large Chinese orbital station in permanent operation.

Tiangong-3 will be used to test elements of future solar power plants, a programme that has become a priority for Beijing. But its pressurised modules are also prototypes for the future lunar base that the Chinese want to build at the Moon's South Pole.

The author Philippe Coué is a French aerospace industry engineer and is internationallly recognized as an expert about Chinese space activities.

Hundreds of colour illustrations - A5