China Marks Milestone in Space Race: Shenzhou-20's Lift-Off Indicates Unwavering Progress
Space launches are common, but the smoke trail soaring over northwestern China yesterday signaled China's determination to lead the way in space exploration, despite the political turbulence. The recent rocket blast-off added an extra layer of excitement, with whispers of Hong Kong's first astronaut potentially joining a mission by next year.
The Shenzhou-20 crew of three astronauts are set for a six-month stint on the Tiangong space station. Their mission involves conducting experiments on artificial brain models and superconducting materials, a duty they'll take over from the current occupants, including China's third female astronaut, who are due to return home on Tuesday.
Recently, China's space agency announced its intentions to touch down astronauts on the moon by 2030. Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA), shared that the development process is moving along nicely, including improvements on the Long March-10 rocket, Mengzhou spacecraft, and Lanyue lunar lander.
In terms of competition, China is playing catch-up with the US space agency, NASA. Both organizations aim to put the first humans on the moon this century. America has already had its footprints on the lunar surface, with the last Apollo mission occurring in 1972.
NASA has already conducted full uncrewed flight tests of an updated launch system and spacecraft, while China is yet to complete a full test flight. The timeline for China's lunar mission is as follows:
- Long March-10 Rocket: Expected to debut by late 2025 or early 2026, following construction of the necessary launch infrastructure at the Wenchang Space Launch Center.
- Mengzhou Spacecraft: In the phase of prototype development and testing, with a crewed capsule set for lunar orbit potentially by 2028.
- Lanyue Lunar Lander: Recently underwent thermal evaluations and is preparing for landing tests, with initial uncrewed landings on the Moon scheduled, followed by crewed landings before the end of the decade.
The ongoing advancements and testing of critical components like the Long March-10 rocket, Mengzhou spacecraft, and Lanyue lunar lander are crucial to China's lunar mission and confirming their place amongst space exploration leaders.
- The Shenzhou-20 crew, which includes three astronauts, will remain on the Tiangong space station for a six-month mission, focusing on conducting experiments on artificial brain models and superconducting materials.
- The current occupants of the Tiangong space station, including China's third female astronaut, are set to return home on Tuesday, after having carried out similar scientific experiments.
- The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) has shared its plans to have astronauts touch down on the moon by 2030, with development processes for the Long March-10 rocket, Mengzhou spacecraft, and Lanyue lunar lander moving along nicely.
- As China progresses in its space exploration endeavors, it competes with the United States space agency, NASA, both aiming to put the first humans on the moon this century, with the US already having had footprints on the lunar surface through the Apollo mission in 1972.
