China sends 3 astronauts to Tiangong space station in picture-perfect launch

The crew consists of Commander Cai Xuzhe, 48, and two rookie astronauts - Song Lingdong, 34, a former air force pilot, and Wang Haoze, 34, a spaceflight engineer and China's third female astronaut.

In Short

• Wang Haoze, China's first female spaceflight engineer, among 3 astronauts
• Mission involves 86 scientific experiments on Tiangong space station
• Crew will return to Earth in late April or early May 2025

China launched three astronauts, including a woman, into space, early on Wednesday, for a six-month mission to the Tiangong space station as part of the Asian giant's ambitious space programme. This is the country's 14th crewed space mission.

The Shenzhou-19 spaceship took off at 4.27 am (local time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in Inner Mongolia, Gansu province, using a Long March-2F rocket. The crew consists of Commander Cai Xuzhe, 48, who previously participated in the Shenzhou 14 mission, and two rookie astronauts - Song Lingdong, 34, a former air force pilot, and Wang Haoze, 34, a spaceflight engineer and China's third female astronaut.

Wang is also the country's first female spaceflight engineer. Notably, Song and Wang, both born in the 1990s, are the youngest crew China has sent to space.

Wang's participation is particularly noteworthy as she is currently China's only female spaceflight engineer. Her journey to the stars will make her the third Chinese woman to embark on a crewed spaceflight mission, following in the footsteps of Liu Yang and Wang Yaping.

Before joining the astronaut programme, Wang worked as a senior engineer at the Academy of Aerospace Propulsion Technology, where she contributed to the design of nuclear-powered rocket engines.

WHAT WILL THE SHENZHOU-19 CREW DO?

The new crew will take over from the Shenzhou-18 crew, consisting of Ye Guangfu, Li Cong, and Li Guangsu, who have been on the space station since April 25 and are scheduled to return to Earth on November 3, landing at the Dongfeng Landing Site.

Cai, Song and Wang will spend six months on the Tiangong space station, conducting a range of experiments and extravehicular activities. The mission includes 86 scientific experiments focusing on biological and physical sciences in space, such as space life science, basic physics of microgravity, space material science and space medicine.

During their stay, the astronauts will perform various tasks, including installing protective devices against space debris, managing station operations and conducting spacewalks.

The Tiangong space station, which is built fully by China, is planned to be permanently occupied and operational for at least a decade, with future plans to expand it with new modules and open it to commercial activities.

This Shenzhou-19 mission represents the eighth visit to Tiangong space station, showcasing the country's growing capabilities in space exploration and research.

The crew is expected to return to Earth in late April or early May 2025, concluding a mission that will further advance China's space program and contribute to scientific knowledge through the various experiments planned during their stay on the Tiangong station.

(with inputs from The Associated Press)