News Screen – China strengthened its space exploration ambitions again with the launch of the Shenzhou-23 manned mission on Sunday evening. This mission is an important step in Beijing’s plan to send humans to the Moon before 2030.
The launch was carried out using a Long March 2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert, northwest China. The rocket reportedly took off on time at 23.08 local time.
The China Manned Space Agency or CMSA stated that the spacecraft successfully entered orbit about 10 minutes after launch. The entire crew is said to be in good condition and the mission is going according to plan.
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The Shenzhou-23 mission carried three astronauts, namely Li Jiaying, Zhu Yangzhu, and Zhang Zhiyuan.
Li Jiaying became the first astronaut from Hong Kong to undergo a Chinese space flight. Before joining the space program, he is known to have served in the Hong Kong police.
While on the Tiangong space station, the astronauts will carry out various scientific experiments in the fields of life sciences, fluid physics, materials science and space medicine.
One of the mission’s main focuses is a test of a year-long stay in orbit by one of the crew members. The experiment was carried out to study the long-term impact of microgravity on the human body.
CMSA said that the astronauts who will undergo a one-year mission will be determined based on operational developments during the flight.
Astrophysicist from Australia’s Macquarie University, Richard de Grijs, considers this experiment to be an important part of preparations for long-term missions to the Moon and Mars.
According to him, the main challenges of long-term space travel include decreased bone density, muscle wasting, radiation exposure, psychological disorders, and the need for a stable air and water recycling system.
The Shenzhou-23 mission is also part of China’s large program to build the International Lunar Research Station or ILRS, a manned research base on the Moon which is targeted to begin construction in 2035.
Apart from that, China is preparing a new generation spacecraft called the Mengzhou spacecraft which is planned to undergo orbital flight tests in 2026. This aircraft will later be used to carry Chinese astronauts to the Moon.
In recent years, China has continued to accelerate the development of space technology. In 2019, China became the first country to successfully land a probe on the far side of the Moon through the Chang’e-4 mission.
Then in 2021, China also succeeded in sending a rover to Mars as part of the expansion of its space exploration program.
China began developing its own space station after no longer being involved in the International Space Station project since 2011, as a result of the United States’ ban on cooperation with the NASA space agency and Beijing.***
