Woman and Two Astronauts Enter China's Space Station

JIUQUAN: Three Chinese astronauts, including the nation’s only female spaceflight engineer, successfully entered the Tiangong space station on Wednesday following an early morning launch into orbit. The Shenzhou-19 mission lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China at 4:27 AM, as reported by Xinhua and state broadcaster CCTV.

Among the crew is Wang Haoze, 34, who is recognized as China’s only female spaceflight engineer and the third Chinese woman to participate in a crewed mission. The crew arrived at the space station around 12:51 PM, where they met astronauts from the previous Shenzhou-18 mission, marking the beginning of a new crew handover process.

The new team will focus on conducting experiments as part of China’s ambitious goal to send astronauts to the Moon by 2030 and eventually establish a lunar base. Wang expressed her excitement, stating, “Like everyone else, I dream of going to the space station to have a look. 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 China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) reported that the launch was a “complete success.” Approximately ten minutes after liftoff, the spacecraft separated from the rocket and entered its designated orbit. Later, it successfully performed a fast, automated rendezvous and docking with the front port of the space station’s core module, Tianhe, at 11 AM.

‘Honour of My Mission’

The mission is led by Cai Xuzhe, a 48-year-old former air force pilot with previous experience aboard Tiangong as part of the Shenzhou-14 mission in 2022. Cai expressed the weight of his responsibility, saying, “Having been selected for the new crew, taking on a new role, facing new tasks and new challenges, I feel the honour of my mission with a great responsibility.” He also emphasized that the crew was fully prepared mentally, technically, physically, and psychologically for the upcoming mission.

The team also includes 34-year-old Song Lingdong. The new and previous crew members will live and work together for about five days to complete their planned tasks and facilitate the handover process. The Shenzhou-18 crew is scheduled to return to Earth on November 4.

China has significantly accelerated its space ambitions under President Xi Jinping. As the third nation to successfully send humans into orbit, China has also achieved milestones such as landing robotic rovers on both Mars and the Moon.