Chinese astronauts land in space to begin six-month mission, key step in moon mission goal

See-off ceremony before the Shenzhou-19 spaceflight mission at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center

Astronauts Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze salute as they attend a see-off ceremony before taking part in the Shenzhou-19 spaceflight mission to China's Tiangong space station, at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, near Jiuquan, Gansu province, China October 30, 2024. REUTERS/Florence Lo

Source: REUTERS

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.

Long March-2F rocket carrying the Shenzhou-19 spacecraft takes off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center — A Long March-2F rocket carrying the Shenzhou-19 spacecraft takes off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center for a crewed mission to China's Tiangong space station, near Jiuquan, Gansu province, China October 30, 2024. REUTERS/Florence Lo TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

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.

Edward Sakyi