Hong Kong · Reuters · Artemis Program · China · Khaosod
China Launches Shenzhou-23 Mission, Sending One Astronaut for Year-Long Stay
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JIUQUAN, China — 24 May 2026, China launched three astronauts to its Tiangong space station on Sunday night, beginning a mission expected to result in the country’s first year-long human stay in orbit as Beijing advances plans to land astronauts on the moon before 2030.
Key facts
- JIUQUAN, China — 24 May 2026, China launched three astronauts to its Tiangong space station on Sunday night, beginning a mission expected to result in the country’s first year-long human stay in orbit as Beijing advances plans to land
- The Shenzhou-23 spacecraft lifted off at 23:08 Beijing time, or 15:08 GMT, aboard a Long March-2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, according to China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency and Reuters.
- Since 2021, China has regularly launched three-person Shenzhou crews to Tiangong for missions lasting about six months
- China has said it aims to land astronauts on the moon before 2030 and plans to establish a permanent lunar research base with Russia by 2035
- In 2024, China became the first country to return samples from the far side of the moon, a mission widely viewed by space analysts as a demonstration of the country’s growing deep-space capabilities.
Summary
The Shenzhou-23 spacecraft lifted off at 23:08 Beijing time, or 15:08 GMT, aboard a Long March-2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, according to China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency and Reuters.
The crew includes mission commander Zhu Yangzhu, pilot Zhang Zhiyuan and payload specialist Li Jiaying, also known in Cantonese as Lai Ka-ying. Reuters reported that Li, a former Hong Kong police officer, is the first astronaut from Hong Kong to take part in a Chinese space mission. AP identified her as Lai Ka-ying, noting that Chinese authorities refer to her as Li Jiaying using the Mandarin transliteration of her name.