The launch took place at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre located in northwestern China. This highly anticipated event is part of China’s preparation for its first crewed lunar landing, aimed for 2030.
The astronauts on board are commander Zhu Yangzhu, along with Zhang Zhiyuan and Lai Ka-ying, who is also recognized by Chinese authorities as Li Jiaying, the Mandarin version of her name.
Lai, originally from Hong Kong and holding a doctorate in computer forensics, marks the first astronaut from the city to undertake a space mission.
The crew is expected to execute numerous scientific and application projects, according to state media. They will also perform an in-orbit rotation with the crew of Shenzhou 21, who have already spent over 200 days at the Tiangong space station.
One astronaut from the Shenzhou 23 mission is slated to remain at the orbiting space station for a year, marking one of the longest single space stays globally. The mission aims to “explore human adaptability and performance limits” in long-duration spaceflight, as reported by state media.
China is intensifying its space initiatives, having conducted multiple missions to the Tiangong space station after being largely excluded from the International Space Station due to US national security concerns.
The US is regarded as China’s primary space rival, with NASA planning to land astronauts on the lunar surface by 2028.
The Tiangong space station, translating to “Heavenly Palace,” first welcomed its crew in 2021. In the previous year, an emergency Shenzhou mission, meaning “Divine Vessel,” successfully rescued a team of astronauts trapped on the space station due to a damaged spacecraft.
