All articles tagged with #shenzhou 23
China launched the Shenzhou-23 crewed spacecraft from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on May 24, 2026, sending a three-astronaut crew to the Tiangong space station for a planned yearlong stay as part of ongoing Chinese spaceflight and station operations.
China launches the Shenzhou-23 mission to the Tiangong space station with three astronauts, including Lai Ka-ying—the first Hong Kong national in space—who will oversee a planned year-long stay to study long-duration microgravity, part of Beijing’s aim to land humans on the Moon by 2030; the crew will conduct life sciences, materials science and medical experiments while China tests future deep-space programs, including the Mengzhou spacecraft for 2026 and the International Lunar Research Station by 2035, and a Pakistani astronaut is expected to join Tiangong later this year.
China on May 24 will launch the three-person Shenzhou 23 crew—Zhu Yangzhu (commander), Zhang Zhiyuan (pilot) and Lai Ka-ying (payload specialist) from Hong Kong, who becomes Hong Kong’s first astronaut. One crewmember will spend a full year in orbit, a first for China, as the mission docks with the Tiangong space station. The flight, from Jiuquan, sets the stage for Shenzhou 24, which will include a Pakistani astronaut, while Shenzhou 21’s crew remains aboard Tiangong on an extended mission.
China is preparing to launch Shenzhou 23 to the Tiangong space station on May 24 with crew Zhu Yangzhu, Zhang Zhiyuan and Lai Ka-ying for a six‑month stay; Lai will be Hong Kong's first orbiting astronaut, and one crew member is expected to embark on a year‑long orbit later as part of the Shenzhou 24 plan involving a Pakistani visitor (the specific astronaut to take the year‑long seat has not yet been named). The mission follows Shenzhou 21’s end and Shenzhou 22’s lifeboat role, and Tianzhou 10 arrived May 11 with nearly seven tons of supplies.