In the early hours of Wednesday, three Chinese astronauts, including Wang Haoze, the country's only female spaceflight engineer, launched on a mission to the Tiangong space station.
This exciting journey aims to support China's goal of sending astronauts to the Moon by 2030 and building a lunar base.
Astronauts Head to Tiangong Station as China Eyes Future Moon Missions
The Shenzhou-19 mission took off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at 4:27 am local time. The team includes experienced astronaut Cai Xuzhe, who has previously been aboard Tiangong, and Song Lingdong.
They will spend several months conducting scientific experiments in space, helping China prepare for future Moon missions, NDTV said.
Wang expressed her enthusiasm for the mission, sharing her dream of exploring the space station and completing important tasks.
The crew is fully prepared for the challenges ahead and is excited about their role in advancing China's space program. They will return to Earth in late April or early May after working hard on Tiangong.
China's space program has made significant strides in recent years, successfully sending astronauts into orbit and landing rovers on Mars and the Moon.
The Tiangong space station, operational for almost two years, serves as the centerpiece of these efforts. It consists of three modules, including the Mengtian science module, added in November 2022.
The station is set to expand further, with plans to upgrade its core module to a new shape, allowing for more experiments and larger projects.
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China's New Mengzhou Spacecraft, Powerful Xuntian Telescope
Future upgrades also include a new spacecraft called Mengzhou, designed to support both lunar and space station missions. This versatile vehicle is expected to make its debut around 2027, helping transport astronauts and supplies.
Additionally, the Chinese Space Station Telescope, known as Xuntian, will be launched to enhance global astronomy efforts. This telescope will have a larger field of view than the Hubble Space Telescope and will be able to dock with Tiangong for maintenance.
According to Space, China aims to keep the Tiangong space station operational for at least ten years, potentially becoming the only space station in orbit once the International Space Station retires around 2030.
As the space program continues to evolve, China is open to international cooperation, welcoming astronauts and scientific partnerships from around the world.
Through missions like Shenzhou-19, China is making significant progress toward its ambitious goals in space exploration, paving the way for future lunar and even deep-space missions.
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