Wang Haoze, China’s sole female spaceflight engineer, is set to embark on a “dream” mission to the Tiangong space station as part of a three-member crew, the Chinese government announced on Tuesday. The Shenzhou-19 mission is scheduled to launch from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert at 4:27 AM local time on Wednesday (2027 GMT Tuesday).
Wang, 34, expressed her excitement at a press conference, stating, “Like everyone else, I dream of visiting the space station. I want to meticulously complete each task and protect our home in space. I also wish to travel in deep space and wave at the stars.”
The Tiangong crew will conduct various experiments aimed at supporting China’s ambitious goal of sending astronauts to the Moon by 2030 and eventually establishing a lunar base. The mission will be led by Cai Xuzhe, a 48-year-old former air force pilot with previous experience aboard Tiangong during the Shenzhou-14 mission in 2022.
Cai emphasized the responsibility of their mission, saying, “Having been selected for the new crew, I feel honored and understand the challenges ahead. We are fully prepared mentally, technically, physically, and psychologically.”
The current crew aboard Tiangong is scheduled to return to Earth on November 4 after completing handover procedures with the incoming astronauts.
Under President Xi Jinping, China has intensified its space ambitions, aiming to realize its “space dream.” The country’s space program, which was the third to successfully send humans into orbit, has also achieved significant milestones, including landing robotic rovers on Mars and the Moon.
During their time aboard Tiangong, the Shenzhou-19 crew will test “bricks” made from materials simulating lunar soil, delivered by the Tianzhou-8 cargo ship in November. These materials will be examined for their resilience against extreme conditions in space.
Although the Shenzhou-19 mission may not yield groundbreaking discoveries, it serves an important purpose in accumulating experience, according to Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. He noted that while the crew exchange may not be historic, it is a valuable part of the ongoing space program.
China has invested billions into developing a sophisticated space program that rivals those of the United States and Europe. Notable achievements include the successful landing of the Chang’e-4 probe on the far side of the Moon in 2019—the first spacecraft to do so—and the deployment of a small robot on Mars in 2021.
Tiangong, which has been operational since the launch of its core module in 2021, is expected to be utilized for approximately ten years.
