China launches new crew to Tiangong space station, in push for lunar ambitions

China on the early hours of Wednesday completed the successful launch of Shenzhou-19 spacecraft, carrying a three-person crew to the Tiangong space station. The spacecraft took off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China at 4.27am (local time), propelled by a Long March-2F rocket, a key component of the nation’s crewed missions. State broadcaster China Central Television confirmed the launch as a “complete success,” reporting that all crew members were in good condition.
During their time aboard Tiangong, the crew will conduct various experiments, including tests involving “bricks” made from materials mimicking lunar soil. These components are scheduled to arrive via the Tianzhou-8 cargo ship next month, and scientists hope to explore their viability for constructing a future lunar base. The Shenzhou-19 mission is seen as a crucial step in accumulating experience for future deep-space missions.

The new crew is also tasked with performing spacewalks and installing protective equipment to safeguard the space station from orbital debris. Notably, some of this debris results from previous Chinese missions. NASA has reported that significant debris in orbit has been generated from satellite collisions and explosions, including China’s deliberate destruction of a redundant satellite in 2007.
The Shenzhou-19 team is led by commander Cai Xuzhe, a 48-year-old former air force pilot with prior spaceflight experience from the Shenzhou-14 mission in 2022. Joining him are Song Lingdong, a 34-year-old rookie astronaut and former air force pilot, and Wang Haoze, also 34, who is China’s only female spaceflight engineer and the third Chinese woman to embark on a crewed mission. Wang expressed her aspirations, saying, “I want to meticulously complete each task and protect our home in space.”
The mission reflects China’s ambitions in space exploration, particularly its goal of landing astronauts on the Moon by 2030 and establishing a lunar base. The crew of Shenzhou-19 will replace the current occupants of the Tiangong station, who have been aboard for six months and are set to return on November 4.