On Thursday, China launched its newest crew into orbit above the space station. The nation intends to land humans on the moon by 2030, and this launch is a component of that goal. At 03:14 UTC, the spacecraft Shenzhou 17 launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center located in northwest China. The three-person crew’s average age is the lowest since the space station’s launch, according to the China Manned Space Agency. According to state media China Daily, their average age is 38. Jiang Xinlin, Tang Hongbo, and Tang Shengjie are the three astronauts. A crew that has been on the station for six months will be replaced by them.
In an effort to rival the US in space exploration, China also intends to send astronauts to the moon before the end of 2030. This comes after earlier struggle between the two biggest economies in the world for influence in the domains of technology, the armed forces, and diplomacy. The Chinese space agency also said earlier on Wednesday that it will be sending a new telescope to conduct in-depth cosmos research. The Chinese state media CCTV stated that the telescope would enable sky mapping, but it did not specify when it would be installed. After being denied entry into the International Space Station, which is headed by the United States, the Chinese government constructed its own space station in 2022. The United States was concerned that China was controlling its space program.
China became the third nation, after the United States and the former Soviet Union, to launch a person into space using its own resources in 2003 with its first manned space mission. China’s space program is now thought to be far behind the American one. However, China has taken some significant actions. These include landing a vehicle on the less-traveled far side of the moon and returning samples from the lunar surface for the first time in many years. By the end of 2025, the United States hopes to return astronauts to the moon. Private American businesses like SpaceX and Blue Origin support it.
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