Technology News 25/5: China launches Shenzhou-23 spacecraft.

China launches Shenzhou-23 spacecraft.

On May 24th, China successfully launched the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft, carrying three astronauts to the Tiangong space station. Notably, among them was the first astronaut from Hong Kong (China), marking a historic milestone in the nation's space program.

(Image of the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft launching a Chinese crew into space on May 24. Source: SCMP)

According to the China Manned Space Administration, the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft launched from the Jiuquan Space Center, carrying out a months-long mission to conduct scientific research and technology testing. Astronauts will perform maintenance, install new equipment, and conduct numerous experiments in a microgravity environment.

This event demonstrates China's growing ambitions in the space sector, while also expanding cooperation and attracting international attention. The presence of representatives from Hong Kong also reflects an effort to integrate these regions into a long-term space development strategy.

The Psyche spacecraft took pictures of Mars.

NASA has released a new series of images taken by the Psyche spacecraft during its flyby of Mars, where it used gravity to aid its journey. This is a crucial step in its six-year trip toward the metallic asteroid 16 Psyche.

The surface of Mars is full of impact craters. (Source: NASA)

The Martian north pole, with its giant ice cap, was captured by the Psyche spacecraft during its flyby of the red planet. (Source: NASA)

Among the images, the most striking is the Huygens crater – a double impact crater with a diameter of up to 290 miles. NASA says the diverse colors in the image reflect differences in the dust, sand, and bedrock, and have been enhanced for greater clarity. Psyche also captured an image of the Martian south pole with its brightly glowing fields of ice and water.

Before approaching closely, the spacecraft also captured images of Mars as a crescent shape, sunlight reflecting off its surface, and its dusty atmosphere. After this "boost," Psyche will continue its journey, expected to reach the asteroid in 2029 to study the planet's core structure.

Space ETFs boom ahead of SpaceX IPO.

Space-focused ETFs are attracting significant capital inflows as investors anticipate SpaceX's historic IPO in June. In the past month alone, these funds have received an additional $1.3 billion, bringing their total assets under management to $3.3 billion.

Two SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets, each carrying a Starlink satellite, were launched into orbit. (Source: SpaceX)

According to Morningstar, the emergence of many new funds such as Tema Space Innovators and VanEck Space ETF indicates that the market is entering a rapid growth phase. Some new funds have even surpassed the size of UFO – the first space fund launched in 2019. Managers believe that SpaceX's IPO will attract many other companies to the space economy .

However, experts also warn of the risks of portfolio overlap and niche market characteristics. Nevertheless, with the outstanding growth of Rocket Lab and AST SpaceMobile, investors believe that the "space economy" is gradually becoming a truly viable investment sector.

Minh Hoan

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/cong-nghe-25-5-trung-quoc-phong-tau-than-chau-23-ar1019813.html