China’s space program takes another historic leap as its youngest-ever crew of taikonauts depart on the Shenzhou-17 spacecraft to the Tiangong space station. This significant mission not only paves the way for future “taikonauts” but also showcases China’s commitment to pushing the frontiers of space exploration.
Shenzhou-17’s Historic Launch
On Thursday, the “Divine Vessel”, also known as the Shenzhou-17 spacecraft, lifted off atop the powerful Long March-2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China. This event marked another key chapter in the chronicles of China’s space endeavors.
“The youngest-ever crew of Chinese astronauts departed for China’s space station on Thursday, paving the way for a new generation of ‘taikonauts’ to advance the country’s space ambitions in the future.”
The Crew: Younger and More Diverse
Leading this six-month mission is former air force pilot, Tang Hongbo, 48. Interestingly, Tang, who hails from China’s second batch of astronauts selected in 2010, was also on the inaugural crewed mission to the space station in 2021. His swift return to the orbiting outpost, Tiangong or the “Celestial Palace”, sets a record for the shortest interval between two spaceflight missions by taikonauts. This could suggest a more rapid rotation of taikonauts in the upcoming years.
By contrast, his crewmates on the Shenzhou-17, Tang Shengjie, 33, and Jiang Xinlin, 35, are making their debut in space. Both were part of China’s third batch of astronauts that was inducted in September 2020. Reflecting on the diversity and evolution of astronaut selection, it’s worth noting that while the initial batches consisted primarily of former air force pilots, China has now started to seek candidates with doctoral degrees in varied disciplines ranging from biology and physics to biomedical engineering and even astronomy.
Furthermore, for the first time, the selection process has been opened to applicants from Hong Kong and Macau.
Foreign Astronauts and China’s Global Vision
While China is steering its space program towards international collaboration, it maintains distinct characteristics, especially in the Tiangong space station. Unlike the NASA-led International Space Station (ISS) where English dominates, only Chinese is spoken aboard the Tiangong. This linguistic choice highlights the unique blend of global outreach with intrinsic Chinese characteristics.
“In a departure from the NASA-led International Space Station (ISS), where English is the working language, only Chinese is used on Tiangong, making Chinese-language skills a key criteria for foreign participants.”
However, Tiangong stands as a beacon of China’s growing confidence in space, especially after being excluded from the ISS program for decades due to U.S. laws.
From Shenzhou-1 to Shenzhou-17: A Brief Look
This mission marks China’s 12th crewed mission since Yang Liwei’s pioneering solo spaceflight in October 2003. The Shenzhou-17 astronauts will replace the Shenzhou-16 crew, who arrived at Tiangong in May and are scheduled to return to Earth on October 31.
Conclusion
The Shenzhou-17 mission is a testament to China’s relentless push into space, blending innovation with heritage and aiming for the stars. As China continues its journey, how do you see the future of global space collaborations shaping up? We’d love to hear your thoughts and comments below.