China Launches Manned Space Mission Ahead of Sending Astronauts to the Moon

SadaNews - China launched the "Shenzhou 23" spacecraft, successfully docking with its space station, as a step towards sending its first crewed mission to the Moon by 2030.

A Chinese astronaut is scheduled to spend an entire year in orbit during this mission, aboard the "Tiangong" space station, marking a critical first step in the lunar landing program.

A "Long March 2" rocket lifted off at 23:08 local time (15:08 GMT) from the "Jiuquan" center in the Gobi Desert in China, carrying the "Shenzhou 23" spacecraft with three astronauts on board towards the Chinese space station "Tiangong", according to footage broadcasted by the state channel "CCTV".

The manned space mission office stated that the spacecraft separated from the rocket about 10 minutes later and entered orbit.

It added in a statement that "the astronauts are in good condition, and the launch was entirely successful".

The Chinese space agency clarified that the spacecraft successfully docked with the "Tiangong" space station after a journey of about 3.5 hours, according to the official "Xinhua" news agency.

This mission marks the first involvement from Hong Kong, featuring astronaut Li Qingying, 43, who previously served in the Hong Kong police force, the autonomous Chinese region.

Her mission companions are mission commander Zhou Yangchao, 39, an aerospace engineer, and Zhang Qiyuan, 39, a former Air Force pilot making his first journey into space.

The crew will conduct numerous scientific projects in the fields of life sciences, materials, fluids, physics, and medicine.

However, the most notable aspect of the "Shenzhou-23" mission is the experience of one crew member surviving a full year in Earth’s orbit, which will allow for studying the effects of long-term living in zero gravity on humans.

"Muscle Atrophy"

China is conducting these experiments in preparation for the crewed mission it plans to send to the Moon in the future, and perhaps to Mars.

A Chinese space official stated on Saturday that the astronaut who will stay for a full year will be announced later depending on the mission's progress.

Astronomer and professor at Macquarie University in Australia, Richard de Grice, explained that "the primary challenges will be the human effects: bone density loss, muscle atrophy, radiation exposure, sleep disturbances, and behavioral and psychological stress".

Also of vital importance is verifying the functionality of water and air recycling systems and the ability to deal with medical emergencies far from Earth.

He noted that China has become "very skilled" in these areas, but what needs to be tested is the duration; the Tiangong station crew typically stays in orbit for 6 months before being replaced by a new team, and nobody has yet remained there for an entire year.

Pakistani on board the station

China plans to conduct an orbital test flight of its new "Mengzhu" spacecraft in 2026, which will replace the older "Shenzhou" vehicles and be responsible for transporting astronauts to the Moon.

Beijing hopes by 2035 to establish the first part of a habitable scientific base on the Moon's surface, which will be called the "International Lunar Research Station".

China intends to welcome its first foreign astronaut aboard the "Tiangong" station before the end of 2026, and it is slated to be a Pakistani.

This development comes amid significant advancements in China's space program over the past three decades, investing billions of dollars in a bid to catch up with what the United States, Russia, and Europe have achieved in this field.

In 2019, China landed the "Chang 4" probe on the far side of the Moon, marking a world first, and in 2021, it deployed a rover on the surface of Mars.

China is not participating in the International Space Station as the U.S. has barred NASA from collaborating with Beijing, prompting China to establish its own space station.