China launches Shenzhou-23 mission; astronaut will spend a year in space

The China took another step in its space race this Sunday (24) by launching the Shenzhou-23 mission, considered strategic for the country’s plans to send astronauts to the Moon by 2030.

The Long March 2F rocket took off from the Jiuquan Launch Center, in the Gobi Desert, in northwestern China, taking three astronauts towards the Tiangong space station, known as the “Heavenly Palace”.

The mission marks a historic moment for the Chinese space program: for the first time, an astronaut from the country will spend an entire year in space. Until now, stays on the Chinese space station lasted about six months.

The long stay in orbit will be used to study the effects of microgravity on the human body, a step considered essential for future manned trips to the Moon and even for missions to Mars.

Among the crew is 43-year-old Li Jiaying, who became the first Hong Kong astronaut to participate in a Chinese space mission. Before joining the space program, he worked as a police officer in the semi-autonomous territory.

The crew also consists of Zhu Yangzhu, a 39-year-old aerospace engineer, and Zhang Zhiyuan, a former Chinese air force pilot, who will make his first trip to space.

According to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA), it has not yet been decided which of the astronauts will remain at Tiangong for a full year. The decision will depend on the progress of the mission.

In addition to studies on prolonged stay in space, astronauts will carry out experiments linked to medicine, physics, materials and biological sciences.

Scientists intend to analyze effects such as loss of bone density, muscle atrophy, exposure to radiation, sleep disorders and psychological distress.

“The biggest challenge will be precisely the impact on the human body,” astrophysicist Richard de Grijs, professor at Macquarie University, in Australia, explained to AFP.

The expert also highlighted the importance of the reliability of water and air recycling systems, as well as the ability to deal with medical emergencies far from Earth.

“China has become very competent in these areas, but spending a year in space puts the equipment and crew at a completely different operational level than shorter missions,” he said.

The launch is part of the Chinese strategy to expand its space presence and compete for prominence with the United States, which is developing the Artemis program to return to the lunar surface.

Beijing is currently working on the development of the Mengzhou spacecraft, called the “Dream Ship”, which should replace the current Shenzhou in future manned missions to the Moon.

The Chinese government also plans to build the first part of a permanent scientific base on the Moon by 2035, called the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS).

In recent decades, China has greatly accelerated its space investments. In 2019, the country became the first in the world to land a probe on the far side of the Moon. Two years later, it managed to place a robot on Mars.

The creation of the Tiangong space station gained momentum after China was excluded from the International Space Station in 2011, when the United States banned NASA from cooperating with the Chinese space program.