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China's Shenzhou-23 space mission to feature Hong Kong's first astronaut
24 May 2026

China is scheduled to launch its longest human spaceflight mission to date, the Shenzhou-23.

The spacecraft is due to blast off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert today.

The crew includes commander Zhu Yangzhu, pilot Zhang Yuanzhi, and Li Jiaying who is Hong Kong's first astronaut to join a Chinese space mission.

One of them will remain in space for an entire year as part of China's preparations for future Moon missions.

Shenzhou-23 mission's significance
Mission goals

The Shenzhou-23 mission is a major milestone in China's space exploration efforts.

It will test new technologies such as rapid autonomous docking and study the long-term effects of radiation and isolation on astronauts.

This research is crucial for China's future Moon missions, which are part of its ambitious plan to land astronauts on the Moon by 2030.

Integration with Tiangong space station
Crew integration

The Shenzhou-23 crew will soon integrate with the Tiangong space station, where they will be greeted by the Shenzhou-21 astronauts.

The latter are currently on a long seven-month mission and are scheduled to return to Earth at the end of this month.

This handover is a crucial part of China's continuous human presence in space, furthering its research and technological advancements in this domain.

Preparations for the crew changeover
Delivery

The Shenzhou-23 mission comes just after the Tianzhou 10 cargo spacecraft's arrival at Tiangong on May 11.

It delivered nearly seven tons of supplies to the space station.

The upcoming crew changeover will see the Shenzhou-21 astronauts hand over control of Tiangong to their successors from Shenzhou-23, marking another successful step in China's continuous human presence in space.