Beijing says it is “not competing” with Washington, despite racing to land astronauts on the Moon before 2030
Three Chinese astronauts have successfully reached the Tiangong space station, with one of them set to spend more than a year in orbit in another step in Beijing’s preparations for a future lunar landing.
The Shenzhou-23 spacecraft launched aboard a Long March-2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert late Sunday.
Less than four hours later, following a rapid rendezvous and docking process, the crew, led by Commander Zhu Yangzhu, successfully reached the Tiangong space station, whose name translates as “Heavenly Palace.”
Former Air Force pilot Zhang Zhiyuan and payload specialist Lai Ka-ying, a former Hong Kong police officer and the first person from the city to travel to space, were welcomed by the outgoing Shenzhou-22 team.
The astronauts are expected to spend around six months aboard the orbital station, carrying out scientific experiments, maintenance work, and spacewalks. One crew member is set to stay twice as long to complete China’s first year-long mission in orbit.
Shenzhou-21 crew opened the hatch to welcome Shenzhou-23, marking China’s 8th “space reunion” and the first time a Hong Kong astronaut joins the Tiangong family. pic.twitter.com/KlVF0tU1Mg
— Shanghai Daily (@shanghaidaily) May 25, 2026
The China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO) said the Tiangong space station plays a key role in Beijing’s plans to place two astronauts on the Moon before 2030.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: rt.com
