China successfully launched the crewed spacecraft Shenzhou 19 on the 30th (local time). According to China’s state-owned Xinhua News Agency, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) launched the Shenzhou 19 carrying three astronauts at 4:27 AM from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu Province. The spacecraft was launched aboard a Long March 2F rocket towards the Tiangong Space Station. Approximately 10 minutes after launch, Shenzhou 19 successfully separated from the rocket and entered its planned orbit.
The astronauts aboard Shenzhou 19 are Cai Xuzhe (commander), Song Lingdong, and Wang Haoze. Cai Xuzhe had previously participated in the Shenzhou 14 space mission in 2022 and set a new record among Chinese astronauts by participating in two missions within the shortest interval.
The other two astronauts were born in the 1990s and are undertaking their first space mission. Wang Haoze is currently China’s only female space engineer and is the third Chinese woman to participate in a crewed space launch. The previous two female astronauts were former Air Force pilots, but Wang Haoze is a rocket engineer. She will mainly oversee space experiments, cargo management, and space station operations.
The Shenzhou 19 crew will replace the Shenzhou 18 crew, who left Earth last April, and will stay at the space station for about six months. During this time, they will conduct several spacewalks to perform microgravity fundamental physics, space material science, and space medicine experiments. They will also install protection devices against space debris, as well as external payloads and equipment.
The Shenzhou 18 mission is expected to return to the Dongfeng landing site in China on the 4th of next month.