China has sent the youngest crew of astronauts ever to its space station, Tianhe (Heavenly Palace), today, paving the way for a new generation of Chinese astronauts to enhance the country's ambitions in space in the future. The six-month mission is led by 48-year-old former air force pilot Tang Hong, who participated in the first crewed mission to the space station in 2021. He is accompanied by two younger astronauts: Tang Xing Ji, 33, and Jiang Xin Lin, 35, both of whom are traveling to space for the first time. They joined the third batch of Chinese astronauts in September 2020. The astronauts will replace the crew of Shenzhou-16, who arrived at the station at the end of May. The Tianhe space station has become a symbol of Chinese space ambitions after the country was excluded from the International Space Station program for decades. U.S. law prohibits direct or indirect cooperation between China and the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). China hopes to land an unmanned probe on the moon next spring and aims to send a crewed mission to the moon by 2030.
Video: China Sends "Youngest Crew" to Space
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