Official announcement from the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA)

China Prepares Shenzhou-19 Mission to Tiangong, Trains Astronauts for Lunar Landing

Oct 29, 2024, 02:05 AM

China is preparing for the launch of the Shenzhou-19 crewed mission to the Tiangong Space Station. The mission, which includes space science experiments, extravehicular activities, and space lectures, is part of China's broader space exploration efforts. The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) has announced that the fourth batch of Chinese astronauts, including 10 candidates selected in August, will be trained for future lunar missions. This group includes eight space pilots and two payload specialists from Hong Kong and Macao. The CMSA aims to achieve a manned lunar landing by 2030 and is also planning to select and train astronauts from partner nations for its space station missions. Notably, China’s only female spaceflight engineer, Wang Haoze, will join the crew to the Tiangong Space Station. Kang Guohua, a professor at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, highlighted the crew's exposure experiment on bricks made from simulated lunar soil.