China’s Shenzhou-18 Launch Marks Steps Toward Moon Landing Mission and Lunar Base

The upcoming Shenzhou-18 mission, announced by China, will see three astronauts sent to the Tiangong space station as part of a program aimed at landing astronauts on the Moon by 2030. The mission is set to launch at 8:59 p.m. on Thursday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China. Commander Ye Guangfu, a fighter pilot and astronaut who previously participated in the Shenzhou-13 mission in 2021, will lead the crew. Joining him on this new adventure will be Li Cong and Li Guangsu, both on their first space mission.

Lin Xiqiang, the deputy director general of the China Manned Space Agency, shared that the crew will conduct experiments in gravity, physics, and biological sciences during their six-month stay in orbit. They will also work on a high-resolution global greenhouse gas detection project. Commander Ye expressed his confidence in completing the mission and called it a “new beginning.” Li Guangsu shared his excitement about seeing the Earth from space and exploring the wonders of the cosmos for his son.

China’s Tiangong space station is a crucial component of its ambitious space program which includes sending robots to Mars and the Moon. It is continuously manned by teams of three astronauts with the Shenzhou-17 team due to be replaced by this new crew. China’s space program under President Xi Jinping aims to rival other countries in space exploration and has plans to send a manned mission to the Moon and establish a lunar base by 2030.