China successfully launched three astronauts aboard the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft on Thursday, 24 April 2025, marking another major stride toward its goal of sending humans to the Moon within the next five years.
The spacecraft lifted off at 5:17 PM local time from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi Desert, propelled by a Long March-2F rocket. This mission is China’s 15th crewed spaceflight and the 20th in its Shenzhou program, which began more than 30 years ago.
The Shenzhou-20 crew includes mission commander Chen Dong—now on his third flight—alongside first-time space travelers, engineer Wang Jie and fighter pilot Chen Zhongrui. They are set to replace the current trio aboard Tiangong, China’s independently built space station.
A New Power in Orbit
Tiangong, meaning “Heavenly Palace,” has cemented China’s role as a key player in space exploration. With China excluded from the International Space Station due to US national security concerns, the nation built its own orbital laboratory entirely from scratch. The station has been fully operational since 2022 and is capable of hosting up to six astronauts at once during crew handovers.
What’s Ahead
The Shenzhou-20 crew will spend roughly six months in orbit conducting medical and technological experiments, performing spacewalks, and maintaining and upgrading the station. Their arrival marks a brief overlap with the current crew, who are scheduled to return to Earth on 29 April after 175 days in space.
China’s space program, overseen by the People’s Liberation Army, has seen rapid progress since the country sent its first astronaut into orbit in 2003. It has since deployed a rover on the far side of the Moon and an explorer on Mars.
With the Moon as its next target, China aims to put astronauts on its surface by 2030—a mission that, if successful, would place it alongside the United States as the only nations to land humans on the Moon.
