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

Quentin Parker

Published: 12:30am, 1 Jun 2023

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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.

It is clear the Chinese authorities have no concerns about Gui being unduly Westernised during the time he spent in Canada. This is a good thing and can help to build future trust.

02:22

China’s Shenzhou 16 mission sends its first civilian astronaut into space

Missions like this one will become more commonplace in the future. The reason is that China’s space station is a huge laboratory for undertaking scientific research. It is capable of hosting a wide array of scientific and technological experiments from around the world, using sophisticated equipment that is often complex and delicate.

Properly calibrating, operating and fixing this kind of equipment requires deep understanding, technical know-how, extensive research experience and a profound familiarity with the scientific method. These qualities are not often found in the right mix among the accomplished astronauts with a military background. However, they can be found in academia, government agencies and private-sector industries.

The search for payload specialists such as Gui and other civilian astronauts is fundamental to the future success of China’s space programme. It is also significant for Hong Kong given the announcement late last year that China’s space agency was looking to recruit civilian applicants from Hong Kong and Macau.

China’s flying humanoid Taikobot is ready to ease astronauts’ workload

The rigorous selection process has whittled down the shortlist for China’s fourth generation of astronauts to around 100 candidates. Up to 14 places are up for grabs, including for two payload specialists to be selected from Hong Kong and Macau.

Finally, around the same time that Shenzhou 16 was being prepared for launch, there were announcements that China plans to expand its space station even more. A multi-function expansion module is expected to be added to Tiangong’s three existing modules, turning its current T-shaped arrangement into a cross shape.

This new node is expected to have several docking ports that will enable further expansion of Tiangong. With recent talk of China’s space station potentially welcoming tourists within a decade, who knows how large and significant Tiangong will be by then?

Quentin Parker is an astrophysicist based at the University of Hong Kong and director of its Laboratory for Space Research