China launched its Shenzhou-23 crewed spacecraft and eased it into a successful docking with a space station early Monday, as part of Beijing’s ambitions to send humans to the moon by 2030, state media said.
During this mission, a Chinese astronaut is scheduled to spend a full year in orbit at the Tiangong space station, a crucial first in China’s lunar landing program.
The Long March 2-F rocket exploded in a cloud of flame and smoke at 11:08 p.m. (1508 GMT) Sunday night from the Jiuquan launch center in China’s northwest Gobi desert, video from state broadcaster CCTV showed.
The spacecraft separated from the rocket about 10 minutes later and entered orbit, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said on social media.
“The astronauts are in good condition and the launch was a complete success,” he added.
The spacecraft successfully docked with the Tiangong space station after a flight of about 3.5 hours, state news agency Xinhua reported, citing CMSA.
The mission marks the first space flight by a Hong Kong astronaut: 43-year-old Li Jiaying (Lai Ka-ying in Cantonese), who previously worked for the Hong Kong police.
The other two crew members are 39-year-old space engineer Zhu Yangzhu and 39-year-old Zhang Zhiyuan, a former air force pilot who is traveling in space for the first time.
Cheering crowds waved Chinese flags in a farewell ceremony before liftoff, while a band played and the three astronauts saluted on stage.
The crew is set to carry out numerous scientific projects in life sciences, materials science, fluid physics and medicine.
A key experiment of Shenzhou-23 will be a one-year stay in orbit by one of the crew in order to study the effects of a long stay in microgravity.
One year experiment
The experiment is part of China’s preparations for future lunar missions, as well as missions to Mars.
The astronaut selected for this one-year mission will be named at a later date, depending on the progress of the Shenzhou-23 mission, a CMSA spokesman said on Saturday.
Major challenges will include long-term effects on humans, including loss of bone density, muscle wasting, radiation exposure, sleep disturbances, behavioral and psychological fatigue, said Richard de Grijs, an astrophysicist and professor at Macquarie University in Australia.
It also highlighted the importance of reliable water and air recycling systems, as well as the ability to manage potential medical emergencies far from Earth.
China is “steadily” building operational experience for the “sustainable occupation” of its Tiangong space station, and the year-long missions are an important step towards future lunar and potentially deep space ambitions, de Grijs told AFP.
“A year in orbit pushes both hardware and humans into a different operational regime compared to the shorter Shenzhou missions of earlier phases of the program,” he said.
The crews aboard Tiangong have so far mostly stayed in orbit for six months before being replaced.
The Shenzhou-23 mission is part of China’s goal to land astronauts on the Moon before 2030, a race in which the United States is also competing with its Artemis program.
Pakistani crew members
China is testing the necessary equipment for its purpose, with an orbital test flight of its new Mengzhou spacecraft set for 2026.
The Mengzhou shuttle will replace the old Shenzhou line and carry Chinese astronauts to the moon.
Beijing hopes to have built the first phase of a manned science base known as the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) by 2035.
China also plans to welcome its first foreign astronaut, from Pakistan, to the Tiangong station by the end of this year.
The Asian giant has significantly expanded its space programs over the past 30 years, injecting billions of dollars into the sector in order to catch up with the United States, Russia and Europe.
In 2019, China landed a spacecraft, the Chang’e-4 probe, on the far side of the Moon – the world’s first.
Then in 2021, he landed a small rover on Mars.
China has been officially excluded from the International Space Station (ISS) since 2011, when the United States banned NASA from cooperating with Beijing, prompting the Asian giant to develop its own space station project.
