China sends three astronauts to Tiangong Space Station ahead of trip to the moon

China sent three astronauts, including its first civilian, into orbit early Tuesday as the country gears up for a space race with the United States, Chinese authorities said.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Tuesday’s launch sent veteran astronaut Jing Haipeng on his fourth mission into space. He was accompanied by first-timers spaceflight engineer Zhu Yangzhu and payload specialist Gui Haichao, who is also a professor at Beihang University in Beijing.

“We’re 20 years apart in age, which makes this a cross-generational team,” Jing said Monday.

The astronauts will serve as the new crew for China’s space station, the Tiangong, as both the U.S. and China have announced plans to send astronauts to the moon as early as 2025 and 2030, respectively.

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The Shenzhou-16 spacecraft launched from northern China’s Gobi Desert Tuesday morning en route to the Tiangong Space Station – a more than six-hour trip. 

The newly arrived crew will conduct spacewalks, send and receive cargo and other spacecraft, and carry out scientific experiments during their five-month mission, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The launch showcases China’s space capabilities amid an increasingly competitive attitude toward the U.S.

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Chinese leader Xi Jinping has said that the “space dream is an important part of the dream to make China stronger,” per the report.

Liu Bojian, a research assistant at the National University of Singapore who studies China’s activities in space, said the inclusion of a civilian in this trip highlights that Beijing anticipates opening space travel to the private sector.

“China is trying to make sure that in the next two decades, it will have enough well-trained astronauts, both experienced and young, to prepare for even larger missions, such as landing on the moon, and even on Mars,” said Liu via the WSJ.

Both China and the U.S. see space as the next frontier and proficiency in intergalactic travel would lead to a competitive edge.

In March, the White House requested a $30 billion annual budget for the Space Force, an increase from the previous year.