{"id":15658,"date":"2024-10-30T08:19:59","date_gmt":"2024-10-30T08:19:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/china-declares-success-as-its-youngest-astronauts-reach-space\/"},"modified":"2024-10-30T08:19:59","modified_gmt":"2024-10-30T08:19:59","slug":"china-declares-success-as-its-youngest-astronauts-reach-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/china-declares-success-as-its-youngest-astronauts-reach-space\/","title":{"rendered":"China declares success as its youngest astronauts reach space"},"content":{"rendered":"


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China spacecraft launches in mission to space station<\/figcaption><\/p>\n
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A Chinese spacecraft with a three-person crew, including the country’s first female space engineer, has docked after a journey of more than six hours.<\/p>\n

The crew will use the homegrown space station as a base for six months to conduct experiments and carry out spacewalks as Beijing gathers experience and intelligence for its eventual mission to put someone on the Moon by 2030.<\/p>\n

Beijing declared the launch of Shenzhou 19 a “complete success” – it is one of 100 launches China has planned in a record year of space exploration as it tries to outdo its rival, the United States. <\/p>\n

The BBC was given rare access to the Jiuquan Satellite launch centre in Gansu and we were just over a kilometre away when the spacecraft blasted off.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Flames shot out of the rocket launcher as it took to the skies, lighting up the Gobi Desert with a deafening roar.<\/p>\n

Hundreds of people lined the streets, waving and cheering the names of the taikonauts, China\u2019s word for astronauts, as they were sent off.<\/p>\n

At the Tiangong space station, the Shenzhou 19 crew met with three other astronauts who are manning the Shenzhou 18 and will return to Earth on 4 November.<\/p>\n

Just two years ago, President Xi Jinping declared that “to explore the vast cosmos, develop the space industry and build China into a space power is our eternal dream\u201d. <\/p>\n

But some in Washington see the country\u2019s ambition and fast-paced progress as a real threat. <\/p>\n

Earlier this year, Nasa chief Bill Nelson said the US and China were \u201cin effect, in a race\u201d to return to the Moon, where he fears Beijing wants to stake territorial claims.<\/p>\n

He told legislators that he believed their civilian space programme was also a military programme.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"CCTVCCTV<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The Shenzhou 19 crew took a group photo onboard with three other astronauts who are manning the Shenzhou 18<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

‘Dreams that spark glory’<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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However, in Dongfeng Space City, a town built to support the launch site, China\u2019s space programme is celebrated.<\/p>\n

Every street light is adorned with the national flag. <\/p>\n

Cartoon-like astronaut figurines and sculptures sit in the centre of children\u2019s parks and plastic rockets are a centrepiece on most traffic roundabouts.<\/p>\n

A huge poster with Xi Jinping on one side and a photo of the Shenzhou spacecraft on the other greets you as you drive into the main compound.<\/p>\n

Hundreds have gathered in the dark after midnight to wave flags and brightly coloured lights as the Taikonauts make their last few steps on Earth before heading to the launch site.<\/p>\n

The brass band strikes up Ode to the Motherland as young children, kept up late for the occasion, their cheeks adorned with the Chinese flag, all shout in full song.<\/p>\n

This is a moment of national pride.<\/p>\n

The pilot of this mission, Cai Xuzhe, is a veteran but he\u2019s travelling with a new generation of Chinese-trained taikonauts born in 1990 \u2013 including China\u2019s first female space engineer, Wang Haoze.<\/p>\n

\u201cTheir youthful energy has made me feel younger and even more confident,\u201d he told the gathered media ahead of take-off.<\/p>\n

\u201cInspired by dreams that spark glory, and by glory that ignites new dreams, we assure the party and the people that we will stay true to our mission, with our hearts and minds fully devoted. We will strive to achieve new accomplishments in China\u2019s crewed space programme.\u201d<\/p>\n

Standing to his left, beaming, is Song Lingdong. <\/p>\n

He recalls watching one of China\u2019s first space station missions as a 13-year-old with \u201cexcitement and awe\u201d. He chose to become a pilot in the hope that this is how he could serve his country.<\/p>\n

All three convey their deep sense of national pride, and state media has emphasised that this will be its \u201cyoungest crew\u201d to date.<\/p>\n

The message is clear: this is a new generation of space travellers and an investment in the country\u2019s future.<\/p>\n

China has already selected its next group of astronauts and they will train for potential lunar missions as well as to crew the space station.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am determined not to let down the trust placed in me,\u201d says Mr Song. \u201cI will strive to make our country\u2019s name shine once again in space.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"EFEEFE<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Astronauts (L-R) Wang Haoze, Song Lingdong and Cai Xuzhe wave before the launch<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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China\u2019s name has been “shining brightly” a lot lately when it comes to headlines about its space programme.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, the country achieved a historic first by retrieving rock and soil samples from the far side of the Moon.<\/p>\n

In 2021, China safely landed a spacecraft on Mars and released its Zhurong rover \u2013 becoming just the second nation to do so.<\/p>\n

China also has a fleet of satellites in space and has plans for many more.<\/p>\n

In August it launched the first 18 of what it hopes will eventually be a constellation of 14,000 satellites providing broadband internet coverage from space, which it hopes will one day rival SpaceX\u2019s Starlink.<\/p>\n

Elon Musk, Starlink’s chief executive, admitted on his own platform X that China\u2019s space programme is far more advanced than people realise.<\/p>\n

But others in the US are voicing even greater concerns, as they fear this technology can be weaponised.<\/p>\n

The head of US Space Command, General Stephen Whiting, told a space symposium in April that China and Russia were both investing heavily in space at a \u201cbreath-taking speed\u201d.<\/p>\n

He claimed that since 2018, China has tripled the amount of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance satellites it has in orbit, building a \u201ckill web over the Pacific Ocean to find, fix, track and target United States and allied military capabilities\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"BBC\/BBC\/ Xiqing Wang<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Young children, their cheeks adorned with the Chinese flag, all shout in full song as they send the crew off<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

The new space race<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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China\u2019s space exploration is a \u201ccollective mission for humanity\u201d, says Li Yingliang, director of the general technology bureau of China\u2019s Manned Space Agency, dismissing US concerns as \u201cunnecessary\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think this should be called a competition\u2026 China has long upheld the notion of peaceful use of space in its manned space programme. In the future, we will further develop international co-operation in various aspects of manned space technology, all based on sharing and collaboration,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

But the new space race is no longer about getting to the Moon. It\u2019s about who will control its resources.<\/p>\n

The Moon contains minerals, including rare earths, metals like iron and titanium – and helium too, which is used in everything from superconductors to medical equipment.<\/p>\n

Estimates for the value of all this vary wildly, from billions to quadrillions. So it\u2019s easy to see why some see the Moon as a place to make lots of money. However, it\u2019s also important to note that this would be a very long-term investment – and the tech needed to extract and return these lunar resources is some way off, writes the BBC’s science editor Rebecca Morelle<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Chinese experts at the launch centre were keen to point out the benefits of Beijing\u2019s space station experiments.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe study bones, muscles, nerve cells, and the effects of microgravity on them. Through this research, we\u2019ve discovered that osteoporosis on Earth is actually similar to bone loss in space. If we can uncover unique patterns in space, we might be able to develop special medications to counteract bone loss and muscle atrophy,\u201d said Zhang Wei, from the Chinese Academy of Sciences.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany of these experimental results can be applied on Earth.\u201d<\/p>\n

China is, at times, trying to downplay its advances. <\/p>\n

At the launch of a roadmap for its space ambitions, which include building a research station on the Moon, returning samples of Venus\u2019s atmosphere to Earth and launching more than 30 space missions by the middle of this century, Ding Chibiao from the Chinese Academy of Sciences said the country did not have a great number of achievements \u201ccompared to developed nations\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"BBC\/BBC\/ Xiqing Wang<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

China has planned 100 launches in a record year of space exploration as it tries to outdo its rival, the United States<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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And even here at the launch centre, they admit to \u201csignificant challenges\u201d as they try to land a crew on the Moon.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe technology is complex, there’s a tight schedule, and there are a lot of challenges,\u201d said Lin Xiqiang, spokesperson for the China Manned Space Agency.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe’ll keep up the spirit of ‘two bombs and one star’. We will maintain our self-confidence and commitment to self-improvement, keep working together and keep pushing forward. We’ll make the Chinese people’s dream of landing on the Moon a reality in the near future.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s perhaps why President Xi appears to be prioritising the country\u2019s space programme even as the economy is in a slow decline.<\/p>\n

And even though they are bringing along international press to witness their progress \u2013 there are key restrictions.<\/p>\n

We were kept in a hotel three hours from the launch site and transported back and forth by bus, a total journey of 12 hours, rather than being left on site for a few hours.<\/p>\n

A simple trip to a friendly local restaurant was carefully guarded by a line of security personnel.<\/p>\n

We also noticed a large sign in town holds a stern warning: \u201cIt\u2019s a crime to leak secrets. It\u2019s an honour to keep secrets. You\u2019ll be jailed if you leak secrets. You\u2019ll be happy if you keep secrets. You\u2019ll be shot if you sell secrets.\u201d<\/p>\n

China is taking no chances with its new technology, as its rivalry with the United States is no longer just here on Earth. <\/p>\n

The world\u2019s two most powerful countries could soon be staking territorial claims well beyond this planet.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n


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China spacecraft launches in mission to space station A Chinese spacecraft with a three-person crew, including the country’s first female space engineer, has docked after a journey of more than six hours. The crew will use the homegrown space station as a base for six months to conduct experiments and carry out spacewalks as Beijing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15659,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15658","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-asia"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15658","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15658"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15658\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15660,"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15658\/revisions\/15660"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15659"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15658"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15658"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15658"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}