What Is China's Shenzhou-19 Space Mission?

China is set to launch its 14th manned space mission named Shenzhou-19 on Wednesday, advancing its ambitious space program with another milestone.

The Shenzhou-19 mission will carry three astronauts to the Tiangong space station, where they are expected to carry out a range of scientific research over a six-month period. Commander Cai Xuzhe, who previously participated in the Shenzhou-14 mission in 2022, will lead the crew, which includes two astronauts on their inaugural space journey: Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze, both born in the 1990s. This crew is noted as China’s youngest to date.

China’s only female spaceflight engineer

Wang Haoze’s role garners particular attention, as she is China’s only female spaceflight engineer currently. Her upcoming mission will make her the third Chinese woman to participate in a crewed spaceflight, following Liu Yang and Wang Yaping. Prior to her astronaut training, Wang was a senior engineer at the Academy of Aerospace Propulsion Technology, where she worked on nuclear-powered rocket engine designs.

The Shenzhou-19 launch is scheduled for 4:27 AM local time from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, using a Long March-2F carrier rocket.

Shenzhou-19 launch

This mission will mark the eighth journey to China’s independently constructed Tiangong space station, underscoring the nation’s expanding role in space research and exploration. The crew’s return is projected for late April or early May 2025, after completing an extensive set of experiments that will further contribute to China’s scientific advancements in space.

According to Lin Xiqiang, the deputy director of China’s Manned Space Agency (CMSA), the Shenzhou-19 mission will be the 33rd in China’s manned spaceflight program and the fourth during the current operational stage of the Chinese space station. The spacecraft is expected to complete a rapid automated docking with the Tianhe module in approximately 6.5 hours, joining three existing modules.

Shenzhou-19 crew tasks

Lin confirmed that the three astronauts participating in this mission will replace a team currently on the station, who are set to return to Earth soon. The Shenzhou-19 crew will conduct 86 scientific and technological experiments in fields like space life sciences, microgravity physics, materials science, space medicine, and emerging space technologies. Among other tasks, they will study protein crystal growth and the behavior of soft matter in microgravity.

China is presently the sole owner of an independent space station, contrasting with the International Space Station (ISS), which is a multinational effort. Experts speculate that China’s space station could remain the only operational one in orbit following the anticipated retirement of the ISS in the coming years.

China’s space exploration

A unique feature of China’s station is its two robotic arms, one of which is particularly adept at capturing objects such as satellites.

Earlier this month, China outlined long-term goals in space exploration, including crewed lunar missions, constructing a lunar space station, and investigating planets that could potentially sustain life. In addition to developing its space station, China has previously conducted significant missions, including a lunar probe that brought back samples from the moon’s far side for scientific analysis.