China sends youngest group of astronauts into space

The Shenzhou-17 spacecraft was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, on the edge of the Gobi Desert in northwestern China, with the support of a Long March-2-F rocket, at 11:14 a.m. on October 26 (local time), according to AP. The Shenzhou-17 spacecraft is expected to dock with China's Tiangong Space Station in Earth orbit.

According to the China Manned Space Administration, the average age of the three-member crew of Shenzhou 17 is 38, the youngest since the country began building the Tiangong Space Station.

Leading the six-month mission is Tang Hongbo, 48, who is part of China's second batch of astronauts and was part of the first crew sent to the Tiangong Space Station in 2021. Accompanying him are two astronauts, Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin, both in their thirties, part of China's third batch of astronauts and first to the Tiangong.

(From left) Astronauts Jiang Xinlin, Tang Shengjie and Tang Hongbo before the launch of Shenzhou 17 on October 26.

China has begun the selection process for its fourth batch of astronauts, seeking candidates with doctoral degrees in fields ranging from biology, physics and chemistry to biomedical engineering and astronomy. It is also the first time it has opened recruitment to Hong Kong and Macau, two special administrative regions of China.

Beijing is pursuing plans to send astronauts to the moon this decade, amid competition with the United States and Russia for new achievements in space.

The Tiangong space station has become a symbol of China’s growing confidence in this race after being excluded from the International Space Station (ISS) for decades. US law prohibits the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) from any cooperation, directly or indirectly, with China.

The moon has been underestimated to be 40 million years old.

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