Beijing says it is “not competing” with Washington, despite the race to land astronauts on the Moon by 2030.
Three Chinese astronauts have successfully arrived at the Tiangong space station, with one of them expected to spend more than a year in orbit in another stage of Beijing’s preparations for a future lunar landing.
The Shenzhou-23 spacecraft was launched on a Long March-2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert on Sunday evening.
Less than four hours later, following a quick rendezvous and docking, the crew led by Commander Zhu Yangzhu, successfully arrived at the Tiangong space station, whose name translates as. “Heavenly Palace.”
Former Air Force pilot Zhang Zhiyuan and packaging specialist Lai Ka-ying, a former Hong Kong police officer and the first person from the city to travel into space, were welcomed by the departing Shenzhou-22 team.
Astronauts are expected to spend about six months inside the orbiting station, conducting scientific experiments, maintenance work, and spacewalks. One crew member is slated for two stays to complete China’s first year-long mission in orbit.
The crew of Shenzhou-21 opened the hatch to welcome Shenzhou-23, marking China’s “8th space alliance” and the first time a Hong Kong astronaut joined the Tiangong family. pic.twitter.com/KlVF0tU1Mg
— Shanghai Daily (@shanghaidaily) May 25, 2026
The China Aerospace Engineering Office (CMSEO) said the Tiangong space station plays a key role in Beijing’s plans to put two astronauts on the Moon by 2030.
The orbiter helps provide long-term space experience and allows China to test technologies needed for future lunar missions, agency spokesman Zhang Jingbo said. He added that the new Long March-10A rocket and the Mengzhou spacecraft will make a series of flights to Tiangong over the next two years to verify the systems needed for a crewed landing on the Moon.
“We are implementing a manned lunar exploration project under the established plan. We are not competing with other countries in space,” said the company’s chief engineer Zhou Yaqiang. “When Chinese astronauts land on the Moon in the future, this will be a great work for all mankind.”
Humans have not landed on the Moon since NASA’s Apollo 17 mission in 1972. The United States sent a crew on a flyby earlier this year as part of its Artemis program, but Beijing is trying to counter Washington’s efforts to be the first to establish a permanent presence on the moon.
Moscow and Beijing have expanded cooperation in space in recent years, agreeing to establish a joint data center for lunar and deep space exploration focused on the Moon and Mars. In 2021, the two countries announced the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) project, with Russia seeking to build a power station on the Moon to provide energy for the base within the next decade.
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