China launches Shenzhou-19 spacecraft, carrying country’s third female astronaut

Successful lift-off for three-person crew bound for Tiangong space station, with autonomous rendezvous and docking slated to follow

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A Long March 2F rocket carrying the Shenzhou-19 spacecraft and crew of three astronauts lifts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwestern China on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

Published: 6:04am, 30 Oct 2024Updated: 9:03am, 30 Oct 2024

China has successfully launched a three-person crew, carrying the country’s third female astronaut, to the Tiangong space station for a six-month mission.

The Shenzhou-19 spacecraft lifted off atop a Long March 2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwestern China at 4.27am Beijing time on Wednesday, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

Wang Haoze, 34, is an expert in nuclear-powered rocket technology and was joined by two male colleagues about the spacecraft, which is slated to perform an autonomous rendezvous and docking with Tiangong about 6½ hours after launch.

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Unlike Liu Yang and Wang Yaping – the first two Chinese female astronauts, both trained as air force pilots – Wang’s research background is expected to enhance the crew’s implementation of a total of 86 experiments and tests during their time in orbit.

In a video released on Chinese social-media platform Weibo, Wang, a space-flight engineer, explained she has been involved in the design and development of unconventional rocket engines aimed at future deep-space missions.

Having been selected as an astronaut in 2020, Wang noted: “Every day was new to me as I didn’t know what to expect during training. I enjoyed this process a lot.”

“I’m lucky to be an astronaut,” she said at a pre-launch press conference on Tuesday. “I’m even happier to align my personal values with my country’s needs.”