Chinese astronauts land in space to begin six-month mission, key step in moon mission goal
Chinese astronauts aboard the Shenzhou-19 spacecraft have arrived at the Tiangong space station, kicking off a six-month mission in orbit as Beijing continues to expand its space capabilities with an eye toward a 2030 Moon landing.
The Shenzhou-19 crew of three, led by seasoned astronaut Cai Xuzhe, includes China’s only female spaceflight engineer. This team will carry out a series of space science experiments and research, gathering critical knowledge for China’s goal of sending astronauts to the Moon by the end of the decade.
After taking off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch site on Wednesday, October 30, the crew travelled over six hours to reach the Tiangong station. They are set to replace the Shenzhou-18 crew, who have been aboard the station since April. However, the transition will take several days, with the two astronaut teams living and working together for about five days to complete handover tasks.
According to Chinese officials, the Shenzhou-18 crew is scheduled to return to Earth at the Dongfeng landing site in Inner Mongolia on November 4. Meanwhile, the Shenzhou-19 team will remain on the space station until late April or early May 2025, advancing China’s space programme with experiments and research critical to Beijing’s future lunar ambitions.
