China's new crew arrives at space station in sign of growing influence in space field
A Chinese spaceship carrying a three-person crew docked with its orbiting space station Tuesday as the country seeks to expand its exploration of outer space.
JIUQUAN, China — A Chinese space ship carrying a three-person crew docked with its orbiting space station Tuesday as the country seeks to expand its exploration of outer space in competition with the United States, even as it looks for cooperation from other nations.
The team of two men and one woman will replace the astronauts who have lived on the Tiangong space station for the last six months, conducting a variety of experiments and maintaining the structure.
They are expected to stay until April or May of next year. The new mission commander, Cai Xuzhe, went to space in the Shenzhou-14 mission in 2022, while the other two, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze, are first-time space travelers. Song and Wang were born in the 1990s and are graduates of the third wave of Chinese astronaut recruitment, having undergone a rigorous testing and training process taking years.
Song was an air force pilot and Wang an engineer with the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. Wang will be the crew’s payload specialist and the third Chinese woman aboard a crewed mission.
Astronauts waving to the crowd ahead of the launch on Wednesday.Adek Berry / AFP - Getty ImagesEarly Wednesday morning, China declared the launch and entry into outer space a “complete success.”
Rating: 5