On 24 May 2026, China will launch the Shenzhou-23 mission from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The three‑person crew will stay aboard the Tiangong for up to a year, the longest continuous Chinese presence in space to date. The launch uses the proven Long March-2F rocket.
Key Developments
- Launch scheduled at 11:08 p.m. (1508 GMT) with three astronauts: Commander Zhu Yangzhu, Pilot Zhang Yuanzhi, and Payload specialist Li Jiaying (first astronaut from Hong Kong).
- One crew member will occupy the station for a full year, testing human physiology for long‑duration missions.
- The mission will perform the first autonomous rapid rendezvous and docking with Tiangong’s core module, a rehearsal for the 2030 lunar landing.
- China continues parallel efforts: development of the Long March-10 launcher, the Mengzhou capsule and the Lanyue lander.
Important Facts
- China has sent crews to Tiangong almost a dozen times since 2021, typically for six‑month stays.
- The planned one‑year stay will approach the 14½‑month record set by Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov in 1995.
- China’s lunar ambitions include a crewed Moon landing by 2030 and a permanent base by 2035, in partnership with Russia.
- The China Manned Space Agency is conducting safety tests of hardware, including the heavy‑lift rockets and lunar modules.
- Scientists will study radiation exposure, bone‑density loss and psychological stress during the extended mission.
- A parallel “artificial embryo”