China sends a new team of astronauts to its space station

▲ The Long March-2F carrier rocket lifts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert in northwest China. Photo: AFP

AFP

La Jornada Newspaper, Friday, April 25, 2025, p. 6

Jiuquan. On its Space Day, China yesterday sent a new team of astronauts to its space station, the crown jewel of Beijing's program to compete with the United States.

The Asian giant has invested billions of dollars in the space dream , as its president Xi Jinping calls it, and intends to send a manned mission to the Moon this decade and then build a base there.

Crucial to achieving this goal are experiments conducted on the Tiangong space station, which is manned by crews of three astronauts who change every six months.

The final Shenzhou-20 mission took off yesterday at 5:17 p.m. local time (9:17 a.m. GMT) from the Jiuquan launch center in the northwest of the country, AFP journalists present observed.

Trailing in a plume of smoke and flames, the Long March-2F rocket blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, marking the start of the six-month Shenzhou-20 mission.

Good luck!

Hours before the launch, hundreds of people, waving bouquets of flowers and flags, greeted the astronauts through the streets of this military base, built in the middle of the desert.

The three crew members, wearing white jumpsuits, waved to the crowd in front of a banner that read: Learn from our astronauts! Hail our astronauts!

"Great success! " shouted the crowd as the three men passed by.

The team is led by 46-year-old Chen Dong, who is traveling to space for the third time after becoming the first Chinese person to spend more than 200 days in orbit in 2022.

Under his command will be astronauts Chen Zhongrui, a 40-year-old former air force pilot, and space technology engineer Wang Jie, 35, making their space mission debut.

We will contribute to building a strong China in the space field and showcasing our scientific prowess , Chen Dong said during the team's presentation to the press on Wednesday.

The new team will continue physical and biological experiments in space.

For the first time, it will carry planarians, a species of aquatic flatworm known for its regenerative abilities, into orbit.

It will also install space debris protection equipment, conduct spacewalks, replenish supplies, and perform general maintenance.

For a few days they will live with the members of the previous mission, the Shenzhou-19 spacecraft, whose return to Earth is scheduled for April 29.

Moving towards the Moon

During a government-organized visit to the space center, AFP journalists were able to see the rocket installed on a sky-blue launch tower surrounded by red flags.

China's space program is the third to launch humans into orbit. It has also launched probes to Mars and the Moon in its attempt to close the gap with the traditional powers in this field, the United States and Russia.

Their main goals now are to send Chinese astronauts to the Moon and build a base on the surface of the Earth's satellite.

Research and development for China's manned mission to the Moon is progressing smoothly globally , the CSMA said.

The Tiangong space station, whose name means heavenly palace in Chinese, is the jewel in the crown.

The Asian country has been excluded from the International Space Station since 2011, when the United States banned NASA from collaborating with Beijing.

Xinhua

La Jornada Newspaper, Friday, April 25, 2025, p. 6

The Shenzhou-19 crew aboard China's space station yesterday sent a special video message marking the 10th Space Day, expressing their sincere wishes for the country's prosperity and continued success in its space endeavors.

The Shenzhou-19 manned spacecraft was launched on October 30, 2024, carrying astronauts Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong, and Wang Haoze.

The more difficult the road, the stronger our determination , said Wang, China's first female space engineer, vowing to uphold the legacy and realize the nation's dream of landing on the moon.

Sputnik

La Jornada Newspaper, Friday, April 25, 2025, p. 6

Shanghai. China celebrated its Space Day yesterday by displaying to the public for the first time in Shanghai samples of the dark side of the Moon brought back last year by the Chang'e-6 capsule.

The holiday, established in 2016, commemorates the launch of China's first satellite into space, which took place on April 24, 1970.

Lunar soil samples were displayed at the Shanghai World Expo Center.

Shan Zhongde, director of the China National Space Administration (CNSA), emphasized in a speech at an official event in Shanghai that his country has accelerated the implementation of major aerospace projects, such as the exploration program for the Moon, Mars, and the Sun, after making a major technological leap.

Looking to the future, we will focus our efforts on consolidating China's position as a space power, and we will apply our efforts to accelerate innovation, opening up, and advancement in the space sector , he emphasized.

Europa Press

La Jornada Newspaper, Friday, April 25, 2025, p. 6

Madrid. China's Chang'e-8 lunar probe, scheduled for launch around 2029, will carry payloads from 11 countries, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) has revealed. The announcement was made during the opening ceremony of its Space Day.

The Chang'e-8 mission will target the Leibnitz-Beta Plateau near the lunar south pole region and will collaborate with the preceding Chang'e-7 mission to conduct scientific exploration and in-situ resource utilization experiments. These efforts will lay the groundwork for the future International Lunar Research Station.

According to the CNSA, the 10 selected collaborative projects include a multifunctional robot designed by Hong Kong researchers, a lunar rover developed by Pakistan and the International Society for Land Vehicle Systems, a Turkish-made exploration rover, and radio astronomy instruments from South Africa and Peru.

Projects include Italy's Laser Retroreflector Arrays, Russia's Plasma and Dust Analyzer and High Energy Particle Detector, Thailand's Neutron Analyzer, Bahrain and Egypt's Lunar Surface Imaging System, and Iran's Lunar Potential Monitor.