China’s youngest astronaut reaches space and declares success

A Chinese spacecraft carrying a crew of three, including China’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 carry out experiments and expedite missions as the Chinese government gathers experience and intelligence for an eventual mission to land someone on the moon by 2030. We are planning to carry out activities.

The Chinese government declared the Shenzhou-19 launch a “complete success.” This is one of 100 launches planned by China in a record year for space exploration as it seeks to outdo its rival the United States.

The BBC was granted rare access to the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu province and we were just over a kilometer away when the spacecraft exploded.

Flames erupted as the rocket launcher took to the air, lighting up the Gobi Desert with a deafening roar.

Hundreds of people lined the streets to wave and cheer the ancient astronaut’s name, which means astronaut in Chinese, as he bid farewell.

At the Tiangong Space Station, the Shenzhou 19 crew met with the other three astronauts who will return to Earth on November 4th aboard Shenzhou 18.

Exactly two years ago, President Xi Jinping declared, “It is our eternal dream to explore the vast expanse of space, develop the space industry, and build China into a space power.”

But some in Washington see the country’s ambitions and rapid progress as a real threat.

Earlier this year, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said the United States and China were “effectively in a race” to return to the moon, and he was concerned that Beijing might want to stake a claim there.

He told lawmakers he believes the civilian space program is also a military program.

But in Dongfeng Space City, a town built to support the launch site, China’s space program is celebrated.

All streetlights are decorated with the national flag.

Cartoon-like astronaut figurines and sculptures are placed at the center of children’s parks, and plastic rockets are the centerpiece of most traffic roundabouts.

As you drive into the grounds, you are greeted by a huge poster with a picture of Xi Jinping on one side and a Shenzhou spacecraft on the other.

Hundreds of people gathered in the darkness after midnight, waving flags and brightly colored lights as the Taikonauts took their final steps on Earth before heading to the launch site.

A brass band sings an ode to the motherland as young children, all wearing Chinese flags on their cheeks and staying up late for the event, sing and scream.

This is a moment of national pride.

The mission’s pilot, Tsai Xuezhe, is a veteran, but he is accompanied by a new generation of Chinese-trained ancient astronauts, including China’s first female space engineer, Wang Haoze, born in 1990.

“Their youthful energy has made me feel younger and even more confident,” he told the assembled media before takeoff.

“Inspired by the dream of shining glory and the glory of inspiring new dreams, we assure the Party and the people that we will remain faithful to our mission with full dedication of heart and mind. We will strive to achieve new results in our manned space program.”

The person standing to his left and smiling was Song Lingdong.

He recalls watching one of China’s first space station missions with “excitement and awe” when he was 13 years old. He chose to become a pilot because he hoped that by doing so he could contribute to his country.

All three felt a deep sense of national pride, with state media stressing that this would be the “youngest crew” ever.

The message is clear. This is a new generation of space travelers and an investment in the future of our country.

China has already selected its next group of astronauts, who will be trained not only as space station crew members, but also for a possible lunar mission.

“I am determined not to betray the trust placed in me,” says Song. “We will continue to work hard to make our country’s name shine in space once again.”

These days, China’s name often “shines bright” when it comes to headlines about its space program.

Earlier this year, the country achieved a historic first by recovering rock and soil samples from the far side of the moon.

In 2021, China successfully landed a spacecraft on Mars and became the second country to release the Zhurong rover.

China also has a fleet of satellites in space and is planning more.

In August, the company launched the first 18 of a constellation of 14,000 satellites that will eventually provide broadband internet from space, with hopes of one day rivaling SpaceX’s Starlink. are.

Starlink CEO Elon Musk acknowledged on his Platform X that China’s space program is much more advanced than people think.

But others in the United States have expressed even greater concerns, worried that the technology could be weaponized.

Gen. Stephen Whiting, the commander of the U.S. Space Command, said at a space symposium in April that both China and Russia are investing heavily in space at a “breathtaking speed.”

He said that since 2018, China has tripled the amount of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance satellites it places in orbit, creating a “kill web to discover, modify, track, and target U.S. and allied military capabilities.” is being built in the Pacific Ocean.”

Li Yingliang, director-general of China’s Manned Space Administration, said China’s space exploration is “humanity’s collective mission” and dismissed the US’ concerns as “unnecessary.”

“I don’t think this should be called competition…China has long supported the concept of peaceful use of space in its manned space program. “We will further develop international cooperation in these aspects,” he added.

But the new space race is no longer about reaching the moon. It’s about who controls the resources.

The moon contains rare earth minerals, including metals such as iron and titanium, as well as helium, which is used in everything from superconductors to medical devices.

Estimates of the value of all this vary widely, from billions to trillions. So it’s easy to see why some people see the moon as a place to make a lot of money. However, it is also important to note that this is a very long-term investment. Also, the technology needed to extract and return these lunar resources is still a long way off. BBC science editor Rebecca Morell writes:.

Chinese experts at the launch center enthusiastically pointed out the advantages of Beijing’s space station experiments.

“We study bones, muscles, nerve cells, and the effects that microgravity has on them. Through this research, we found that osteoporosis on Earth is actually similar to bone loss in space. “If we can discover unique patterns in the universe, we may be able to develop special drugs to combat bone loss and muscle atrophy,” said Zhang Wei of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

“Many of these experimental results have applications here on Earth.”

China sometimes tries to downplay its own progress.

In announcing a roadmap for space ambitions that includes building a research station on the moon, returning samples of Venus’ atmosphere to Earth, and launching more than 30 space missions by mid-century, Ding Zhibiao of the Chinese Academy of Sciences said: said. He said the country had not achieved much “compared to developed countries”.

And here at the launch center, they acknowledge there are “significant challenges” in trying to land a crew on the moon.

“The technology is complex, the schedule is tight and there are many challenges,” said Lin Xiqiang, a spokesperson for the China Manned Space Administration.

“We will continue to have the spirit of ‘two bombs and one star’. We will maintain our confidence and commitment to self-improvement, we will continue to cooperate, and we will continue to move forward. We will continue to carry the Chinese moon I will make my dream of landing come true in the near future.”

Perhaps that’s why President Xi appears to be prioritizing the country’s space program, even as the economy is in gradual decline.

And while they are bringing in international press to witness their progress, there are important limitations.

We stayed in a hotel three hours away from the range and took a bus back and forth, making the trip a total of 12 hours. They were not left at the scene for several hours.

A quick trip to a friendly local restaurant was carefully guarded by a line of security guards.

I also noticed a large billboard in town with a stern warning: “It’s a crime to tell a secret. It’s a crime to tell a secret.” It’s an honor to keep a secret. If you reveal the secret, you will be imprisoned. Keep your secret and you’ll be happy. If you sell your secret, you’ll be shot. ”

Competition with the US is no longer just on the planet, so China is seizing opportunities with new technology.

The world’s two most powerful countries could soon claim territory far beyond the globe.