Opinion | Shenzhou 16 launch is a tribute to China’s surging space prowess

The inclusion in the mission of a civilian payload specialist who had studied in Canada signals China’s plans for peaceful and scientific exploration of space

Reports of further expansion of the Tiangong space station and the prospect of space tourism suggests the sky is the limit for China’s space programme

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A Long March-2F rocket with a Shenzhou 16 crewed space flight lifts off at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in Jiuquan, Gansu province, on Tuesday. The space flight mission transported three Chinese astronauts to the Tiangong space station. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 12:30am, 1 Jun 2023Updated: 1:20am, 1 Jun 2023

The latest launch in China’s space programme took place on May 30, with a Long March-2F rocket carrying three Chinese astronauts – known as taikonauts – to the Tiangong space station on the latest Shenzhou mission. I find the names given to China’s space missions – Tiangong means “heavenly palace” in Chinese, while Shenzhou means “divine vessel” – and other major scientific and technological endeavours a true reflection of Chinese culture while also conveying a beauty and significance that can be lacking elsewhere.

The Shenzhou 16 spacecraft lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northern Gansu province and docked with the space station in less than seven hours – much shorter than the launch-to-docking time for manned missions to the International Space Station – in what has become the new normal for China’s space programme.

There were also a couple of notable firsts during this mission. Mission commander Jing Haipeng is making his fourth trip into space, a record for Chinese spacefarers.

The other remarkable development in the mission is that it is the first time a Chinese civilian – in this case Gui Haichao, a payload specialist from Beihang University in Beijing – has gone to space. All of China’s previous astronauts were from the People’s Liberation Army Astronaut Corps.

It is no surprise China’s latest foray into space has garnered so much media attention, and not just for the obvious reasons, such as the 2o-year age gap between Jing and Gui. For me, this is a clear signal from China to the rest of the world about its plans for peaceful and civilian exploration, and scientific and industrial exploitation, of space.

This is in keeping with the latest white paper on space – “China’s Space Programme: A 2021 Perspective”– published in January 2022. The paper begins by stating the goals of China’s space programme: “to explore outer space to expand humanity’s understanding of the Earth and the cosmos; to facilitate global consensus on our shared responsibility in utilising outer space for peaceful purposes and safeguarding its security for the benefit of all humanity”.

Gui, a professor at his alma mater’s school of astronautics, only received his PhD in 2014. He then went to York University and Ryerson University in Toronto to work as a postdoctoral researcher before returning to Beihang as associate professor in 2017. A mere six years later, he is in space, which is a remarkable feat, to say the least.