China launches Shenzhou 23 spacecraft with 1 of 3 astronauts set for yearlong stay
JIUQUAN, China (AP) — Chinese The Shenzhou 23 spacecraft departed for the space station Sunday night with three astronauts, including one set to stay in space for a year.
The spacecraft was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China. The highly anticipated launch comes as China prepares for its first crewed ship Moon landing by 2030.
The astronauts on the mission are commander Zhu Yangzhu, Zhang Zhiyuan, and Lai Ka-ying, identified by Chinese officials as Li Jiaying using the Mandarin transliteration of her name.
Lai, who was born and raised in Hong Kong and has a doctorate in computer forensics, is the first astronaut to embark on a space mission from the city.
State media said the crew was preparing to carry out dozens of science and application projects. They are also expected to complete an orbital rotation with the Shenzhou 21 crew, which has been aboard the Tiangong space station for more than 200 days.
One of the three astronauts on the Shenzhou 23 mission is scheduled to remain aboard the orbiting space station for a year, making it among the world’s longest single stays in space. The astronaut’s mission is to “explore human adaptability and performance limits” in long-duration spaceflight environments, state media reported.
As China ramps up its space program, its astronauts have flown multiple missions to the Tiangong space station, which was developed after the United States effectively removed China from the International Space Station due to concerns about national security.
The USA is seen as China’s biggest rival in space. NASA aims to land astronauts On the lunar surface in 2028.
China’s space station Tiangong, which means “Heavenly Palace”, hosted the country’s crew for the first time in 2021. Last year, an emergency mission took place in the Shenzhou program, which means “Divine Vehicle”. A team of astronauts stranded on the space station returned Due to a damaged spacecraft.
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Associated Press video journalist Wu Jia in Jiuquan, China, contributed to this report.
