China launched its Shenzhou-23 mission on Sunday, marking a significant step in Beijing’s goal to send humans to the Moon by 2030. The Shenzhou-23 spacecraft lifted off at 23:08 Beijing time from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China aboard a Long March 2-F rocket, carrying mission commander Zhu Yangzhu, pilot Zhang Zhiyuan, and payload specialist Li Jiaying, also known in Cantonese as Lai Ka-ying. The spacecraft separated from the rocket around 10 minutes after launch and entered orbit, with China’s Manned Space Agency (CMSA) confirming on social media that the astronauts were in good condition and the launch was a complete success.
The mission carries particular historical significance as it marks the first spaceflight ever undertaken by an astronaut from Hong Kong. Lai Ka-ying, 43, who previously served in the Hong Kong police force, joins commander Zhu Yangzhu, a 39-year-old space engineer, and Zhang Zhiyuan, a 39-year-old former air force pilot making his first trip to space. The crew is set to carry out numerous scientific projects spanning life sciences, materials science, fluid physics, and medicine. Lai, who was born and raised in Hong Kong and holds a doctoral degree in computer forensics, is the first astronaut from the city to participate in a Chinese space mission. The preparation for the Shenzhou-23 mission was highly condensed, with the crew completing intensive training within just over a year, including a 72-hour sleep deprivation test and survival training in jungles, caves, and deserts to build close teamwork and unspoken coordination in the cockpit.
One of the three astronauts on the Shenzhou-23 crew will carry out a one-year in-orbit experiment, according to Chinese media, making it China’s longest single human stay in space to date. The year-long mission will also initiate China’s first human body research programme, collecting health data from the astronaut to prepare for future deep-space missions. That data will be used to upgrade medical and protective systems within the spacecraft, with the astronaut tasked with exploring human adaptability and performance limits in long-duration spaceflight environments. Experts note that China is steadily building operational experience for the sustained occupation of its Tiangong space station, and that year-long missions push both hardware and human crews into a different operational regime compared with the shorter Shenzhou missions of earlier phases.
The Shenzhou-23 mission sits within China’s broader goal to land astronauts on the Moon before 2030, a race in which the United States is also competing through its Artemis programme. To support that objective, China is testing the equipment required, with an orbital test flight of its new Mengzhou spacecraft planned for later in 2026. The Mengzhou craft is intended to replace the existing Shenzhou line and will serve as the vehicle to carry Chinese astronauts to the lunar surface. China’s Chang’e-7 probe is also scheduled to launch in the second half of 2026 for a lunar south pole survey, further supporting the country’s crewed Moon landing timeline. Officials have also confirmed that two Pakistani astronauts are currently training alongside Chinese counterparts, with one expected to fly as a payload specialist on a short mission in the future.
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