China’s rapidly advancing space program, three astronauts, including the nation’s only female spaceflight engineer, lifted off aboard the Shenzhou-19 mission in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The trio, headed by seasoned astronaut Cai Xuzhe, 48, launched at 4:27 a.m. local time from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China. Their mission: a six-month stay on China’s Tiangong Space Station, during which they will perform experiments aimed at supporting China’s goal of reaching the Moon by 2030 and eventually establishing a lunar base.
As anticipation builds for what may be one of the most ambitious space programs in history, China’s national pride and aspirations are intertwined with this mission’s progress, reflecting President Xi Jinping’s “space dream” for the country to secure a prominent position in space exploration. The journey marks another landmark in China’s space ambitions, solidifying its place alongside the United States and Russia as one of the few nations to have both a human spaceflight program and a working space station.
Leading the Shenzhou-19 team is Cai Xuzhe, a former air force pilot with a wealth of experience from his previous mission to Tiangong on Shenzhou-14 in 2022. Cai expressed a strong sense of responsibility as he takes on this new role, conveying his readiness to face the challenging mission. “Having been selected for the new crew, taking on a new role, facing new tasks and new challenges, I feel the honor of my mission with great responsibility,” he said at a press briefing before the launch.
Joining Cai is Wang Haoze, 34, China’s only female spaceflight engineer and the third Chinese woman to join a space mission. Wang’s role is of particular importance as the Chinese space program seeks to demonstrate gender diversity within its ranks, albeit gradually. Her enthusiasm for her assignment was evident during a pre-launch media session. “Like everyone else, I dream of going to the space station to have a look,” she told reporters. “I want to meticulously complete each task and protect our home in space. I also want to travel in deep space and wave at the stars.”
The third member of the crew, Song Lingdong, 34, completes the lineup. The crew’s assignment will center on a series of scientific and technical experiments designed to contribute to China’s long-term space goals. Their journey will culminate with a return to Earth slated for late April or early May of 2025, allowing them time to conduct a full six months’ worth of research aboard Tiangong.
The Shenzhou-19 crew will replace a team currently residing at the space station, which is scheduled to return to Earth on November 4 after completing a handover process. The presence of a continuously rotating crew has become essential to the smooth functioning of Tiangong, with three astronauts generally maintaining the station at all times.
Since its launch in 2021, Tiangong has been a focal point of China’s space program and has accommodated multiple crews. The station’s strategic and scientific importance makes it the crown jewel of China’s manned space missions, with its modular design enabling it to host complex experiments and a range of technological advancements.
The latest crew will focus on performing tests aimed at exploring lunar resources in preparation for China’s planned Moon mission. The Tianzhou-8 cargo ship, scheduled to reach Tiangong in November, will deliver a unique set of items, including simulated “bricks” made from materials resembling lunar soil. These artificial lunar elements will undergo experiments to observe their resilience to extreme space conditions such as radiation, low gravity, and temperature fluctuations. Chinese scientists hope these tests will provide data on the feasibility of constructing a lunar base using materials sourced from the Moon itself.
In recent decades, China has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to developing a comprehensive space program. Its manned spaceflight achievements are built on previous milestones, including landing the Chang’e-4 probe on the far side of the Moon in 2019—a first in space exploration. This accomplishment was followed by the 2021 landing of a robotic rover on Mars, an achievement shared only with the United States.
China’s space exploration has not been without challenges, yet it has displayed notable resilience and adaptability. Since launching its human spaceflight program, China has invested heavily in research and infrastructure. The construction of Tiangong was not only a response to the United States’ International Space Station (ISS) but also a demonstration of China’s technological capabilities in constructing a standalone space platform.
According to experts like Jonathan McDowell from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, missions like Shenzhou-19 are fundamental stepping stones for China’s broader space goals. Although the tasks set for this crew may not involve groundbreaking advancements, their activities aboard Tiangong will generate invaluable insights and experience for the nation’s lunar mission in the next decade. “The Shenzhou-19 mission is primarily about accumulating additional experience,” McDowell commented, noting that although breakthroughs might not occur on every mission, each effort adds to China’s body of knowledge and readiness for future endeavors.
As countries around the world renew their interest in lunar exploration, China has signaled its determination to establish a lasting presence on the Moon by the 2030s. The future lunar missions are envisioned as a series of steps toward building a sustainable human base on the lunar surface, which would be one of the most ambitious undertakings in human space exploration to date.
This push for lunar exploration parallels renewed efforts from NASA, which aims to establish a lunar base as part of its Artemis program, with the goal of returning astronauts to the Moon by the mid-2020s. Additionally, the European Space Agency (ESA) has expressed interest in lunar exploration, further illustrating that the next phase of human space exploration is becoming a cooperative yet competitive frontier.
The Chinese Lunar Exploration Program, colloquially referred to as the Chang’e program after the Chinese Moon goddess, aims to gradually escalate from robotic exploration to human-crewed missions, followed by base construction. Chinese space agency officials have underscored the importance of international collaboration in achieving these goals, though political and technical differences have, so far, limited partnerships with the United States due to existing restrictions under the U.S. Wolf Amendment.
China’s advancements in space technology have not only fostered national pride but have also expanded the country’s scientific and technological horizons. Over the past few decades, China has channeled substantial resources into the development of rocket technology, satellite systems, space communication, and advanced robotics. Its accomplishments, particularly in the realms of robotic and human space exploration, signal an era of expanded possibilities for science and discovery.
For Wang Haoze, being part of this vision is both a career milestone and a personal dream. Her participation as a female engineer in such a high-profile mission underscores China’s gradual yet positive efforts toward diversifying its space workforce. China has long promoted space exploration as a national goal that inspires its youth, and figures like Wang have become role models, especially for young women aspiring to enter the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
While China has come a long way in its space journey, challenges remain. The journey to the Moon will require overcoming technical obstacles such as landing capabilities, life-support systems for extended missions, and safe return procedures. Moreover, sustaining a base on the lunar surface will necessitate innovations in resource utilization, particularly in harnessing lunar soil for construction—a concept that the Shenzhou-19 mission will explore further.
The high costs associated with these missions are another concern, with each launch and station upkeep placing substantial demands on China’s space budget. Despite this, the country has displayed a long-term commitment to its space objectives, often through state-led financing and resource allocation that underline the strategic value placed on space exploration.
