China launches the Shenzhou-23 crewed spacecraft and docks it with its Tiangong space station, state media reports. The mission uses a Long March 2-F rocket, which lifts off from the Jiuquan launch center in northwestern China at about 11:08 pm local time on Sunday (1508 GMT), with the spacecraft separating roughly 10 minutes later and reaching orbit. The crew then carries out a docking procedure with Tiangong after about a 3.5-hour flight, with Chinese Manned Space Agency updates saying the crew is in good condition and the launch is successful. One astronaut is scheduled to stay in orbit for a full year on Tiangong, described by multiple outlets as a first for a Chinese astronaut and as an important step for upcoming missions. Several reports link the flight to Beijing’s stated goal of sending humans to the Moon by 2030. One outlet also notes the mission includes an astronaut who is a former police officer from Hong Kong, marking a first for that background, though other outlets focus more broadly on the mission’s technical and programmatic milestones.
China launches Shenzhou-23 crewed mission, docking with Tiangong as moon plans advance
China launches the Shenzhou-23 crewed spacecraft and docks it with its Tiangong space station, state media reports. The mission uses a Long March 2-F rocket, which lifts off from the Jiuquan launch ce...
- China launches the Shenzhou-23 crewed spacecraft on a Long March 2-F rocket from the Jiuquan launch center.
- The spacecraft docks successfully with the Tiangong space station after a flight of about 3.5 hours.
- One astronaut remains in orbit for a full year on Tiangong, described as a first for a Chinese astronaut.
- The mission is presented by Chinese officials as part of efforts toward a crewed Moon mission by 2030.
- State media and the Chinese Manned Space Agency report the crew is in good condition and the launch succeeds.
China has launched the Shenzhou 23 rocket into space carrying three astronauts, in a mission that will take Beijing closer to its ambition for a moon landing in 2030.
3 months agoChina launched its crewed Shenzhou-23 spacecraft and eased it into a successful docking with a space station early Monday as part of Beijing's ambitions to send humans to the moon by 2030, state media said.
3 months agoBEIJING — China launched its crewed Shenzhou-23 spacecraft and eased it into a successful docking with a space station early Monday as part of Beijing’s ambitions to send humans to the Moon by 2030, state media said. During this mission, a Chinese astronaut is scheduled to spend a full year in orbit on the Tiangong space station, a crucial first in the Chinese lunar landing program. The Long March 2-F rocket blasted off in a cloud of flames and smoke on time at 11:08 pm (1508 GMT) Sunday night from the Jiuquan launch center in China’s northwestern Gobi Desert, video […]...Keep on reading: China launches crewed space flight as part of Moon ambitions
3 months agoChina launched its crewed Shenzhou-23 spacecraft and eased it into a successful docking with a space station early Monday as part of Beijing’s ambitions to send humans to the Moon by 2030, state media said. During this mission, a Chinese astronaut is scheduled to spend a full year in orbit on the Tiangong space station, […]
3 months agoBEIJING - China launched its crewed Shenzhou-23 spacecraft and eased it into a successful docking with a space station early Monday as part of Beijing's ambitions to send humans to the Moon by 2030, state media said. During this mission, a Chinese astronaut is scheduled to spend a full year in orbit on the Tiangong space station, a crucial first in the Chinese lunar landing program. The Long March 2-F rocket blasted off in a cloud of flames and smoke on time at 11:08 pm (1508 GMT) Sunday night from the Jiuquan launch centre in China's northwestern Gobi Desert, video from state broadcaster CCTV showed. The spacecraft separated from the rocket around 10 minutes later and entered orbit, the Chinese Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said on social media. "The astronauts are in good condition, and the launch has been a complete success," it added. The craft docked successfully with the Tiangong space station after a flight of about 3.5 hours, the state news agency Xinhua reported, quoting CMSA. The mission marks the first spaceflight by an astronaut from Hong Kong: 43-year-old Li Jiaying (Lai Ka-ying
3 months agoThe Shenzhou-23 mission will see a Chinese astronaut spend a full year in orbit for the first time.
3 months ago
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