Which rocket launched China’s first crewed spaceflight, Shenzhou 5?

The Long March 2F rocket launched Shenzhou 5, China’s first crewed spaceflight, on October 15, 2003.

Shenzhou 5 carried Yang Liwei on a roughly 21-hour mission around Earth. The spacecraft launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center and completed 14 orbits before landing in Inner Mongolia. The flight made China the third country to independently send humans into space, after the Soviet Union and the United States.

Long March 2F is a human-rated version of China’s Long March 2E launch vehicle. It was developed with additional safety and reliability features for crewed missions. The rocket placed Shenzhou 5 into low Earth orbit, while the Shenzhou spacecraft handled the crew’s flight operations and reentry.

A common mix-up is treating Shenzhou 5 as the rocket. Shenzhou 5 was the crewed spacecraft; Long March 2F was the launch vehicle that carried it into orbit.