China’s Tiangon Space Station is the Crown Jewel of the Space Program.
China is taking steady steps this week towards its goal of placing astronauts on the moon, so it plans to launch a new crew mission into space this week.
The Shenzhou-20 mission explodes from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China, bringing three astronauts to the country’s independent Tiangon space station for a six-month stay.
The team will experiment with promoting the ambitious objectives of the space program, deploying astronauts on the moon by 2030 and ultimately building a lunar base.
The country’s space agency said last week that the deep-sea spacecraft and its long March 2F carrier rocket would be moved to the launch site of a remote desert base and would be launched “at the right time in the near future.”
A photo issued by Xinhua National News Agency shows a refined white rocket perched on a blue pedestal decorated with national flags, carrying a red and gold banner celebrating China’s space program.
“At this point, the launch site’s facilities and equipment are in good condition. Functional testing and joint testing will be carried out as planned,” said China’s Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
Authorities have not yet provided details about the identity of the Deep Cell-20 astronauts and the work they will perform.
Zhou Wenxing, a staff member at the country’s astronaut training centre, said the crew were “in good condition, operating and smooth adjustments,” state broadcaster CCTV reported on Sunday.
“Space Dream”
China’s previous crew mission, Deep Sea-19, began last October and reaches its planned end date on April 29th.
The long March 2F carrier rocket carrying the Deep Sea-19 spacecraft is lifted from the Jukuan Satellite Launch Center.
It is led by Cai Xuzhe, a 48-year-old former Air Force pilot who served as a former stint on the Tiangon Space Station as part of the 2022 Deep Sea-14 mission.
Also among the crew is Wang Haoze, 35, the only female spaceflight engineer in China and the third Chinese woman to join the crew mission.
Song Ling-dong, a 34-year-old man, completes the trio.
The Shenzhou-19 team is conducting tests to see how extreme radiation, gravity, temperature and other conditions affect “bricks” made from components that mimic the lunar soil, according to reports at the time of launch.
Under President Xi Jinping, China has advanced its plans to achieve its “space dream.”
That space program was the third to bring humans into orbit, landing robot rovers on Mars and the moon.
The jewel in the crown is Tiangon. This is a space station with a team of three astronauts spinning every six months.
Beijing says it is well on track to send crew missions to the moon by 2030.
Over the last few decades, the country has devoted billions of dollars to developing sophisticated space programs comparable to the US and Europe.
In 2019, the Chang’e-4 probe landed on the other side of the moon. This is the first spaceship to date. In 2021, a small robot landed on Mars.
The Tiangong, which launched its core module Tianhe in 2021, is scheduled to be used for about 10 years.
©2025 AFP
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