China launches Shenzhou-23 mission with year-long crew stay and over 100 experiments

China lifted off the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft from the Jiuquan launch site on 24 May 2026, carrying three astronauts: commander Zhu Yangzhu, pilot Zhang Zhiyuan and payload specialist Lai Ka‑yng, the first astronaut from Hong Kong. After reaching orbit, the capsule performed an autonomous rendezvous and docked with the Tianhe core module of the Tiangong space station.

The mission includes more than 100 scientific investigations, ranging from a year‑long human‑health study to assess the effects of microgravity on the body, to embryology experiments with zebrafish and mouse embryos, and to multi‑generational rice growth in space. The crew will also conduct routine station maintenance, relocate cargo modules and perform extravehicular activities. A crew‑swap with the Shenzhou‑21 team, already on the station for over 200 days, is planned.

Shenzhou‑23 represents a step toward China’s longer‑term goals, including a crewed lunar landing projected for the early 2030s, by testing long‑duration habitation and a broad portfolio of space‑based research.