China has sent the youngest crew ever into space

The three-astronaut team has the youngest average age since the space station was built. As Reuters points out, its return to the orbiting outpost Tiangong, or “Heavenly Palace” in Chinese, also set a new record for the shortest interval between two taikonaut spaceflight missions – coined from the Chinese word for space – suggesting a faster rotation of taikonauts in the coming years.

China plans to expand its station from 3 to 6 modules in the coming years, to expand the volume and capabilities of its outpost in space. Beijing began building Tiangong in 2021 with the launch of Tianhe. The three-module orbital outpost was completed in late 2022 following the launch of the Wentian and Mengtian experimental modules.

All the details.

THE YOUNGEST ASTRONAUTS EVER

Captain of the mission is Tang Hongbo, 48 years old, on his first mission back to the space station. Former Air Force pilot Tang Hongbo, who was on the first crewed mission to the space station in 2021.

He is accompanied by Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin, both thirty years old and on their first space journey. With an average age of 38, the all-male crew is the youngest to ever participate in a mission to the Chinese space station.

THE OBJECTIVE OF THE MISSION

The three will have to "perform various tests and experiments in space science and applications in orbit", explained Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the China Manned Space Agency. Additionally, they will conduct some maintenance work on the station to repair some "minor damage" caused by space debris. “We found that the space station's solar wings were hit multiple times by small space particles,” Lin explained.

CHINA'S SPACE RACE

Members of Shenzhou-16's previous crew – aboard Tiangong for nearly five months – are preparing to receive the trio before returning to Earth next week. Completed in late 2022, the Chinese space station can accommodate up to three astronauts at a maximum orbital altitude of 450 km (280 miles) and will have an operational lifespan of more than 15 years.

Tiangong, the flagship of Beijing's space program, is constantly manned by rotating teams of three astronauts. As Reuters points out, Tiangong has become an emblem of China's growing weight and confidence in its space efforts, and a challenger to the United States in the space after being isolated from the ISS. Any collaboration, direct or indirect, with NASA is prohibited by US law.

Under President Xi Jinping, Asia's largest economy has stepped up efforts to match the United States as the dominant power in space. Beijing has invested billions of dollars in its military-led space program, trying to catch up with the US and Russia.

In addition to the recent announcement of plans to double the size of Tiangong, yesterday Beijing unveiled plans for a new deep space telescope, although the timing for installation remains unspecified, AP reports.

Finally, Beijing is planning to send astronauts to the Moon before the end of the decade. It is an open challenge for the USA: with the Artemis programme, NASA aims to return to the Earth satellite around 2025.