China develops new seven-seat manned spacecraft

China is developing a next-generation spacecraft that seats up to seven people, the country’s manned space agency revealed Thursday.

More spacious than the current three-seater, the new spacecraft will be able to carry more cargo supplies and a greater number of crew members, which will help expand the scale of crewed spaceflight and open other horizons, such as space tourism. Zhou Jianping, chief designer of China’s manned space program, said in an interview.

A new launch vehicle is also in development. According to Zhou, this manned rocket is designed to have higher liftoff thrust, reusable components, and a larger area for payloads, thus outperforming previous generations in cost-effectiveness.