HONG KONG, May 25 (Xinhua) -- China on Sunday successfully launched the Shenzhou-23 crewed spaceship, sending three astronauts to its orbiting Tiangong space station for new tests on long-duration stay and frontier scientific experiments.
Featuring several historic "firsts," the mission sees the first time a commander from China's third batch of astronauts leads a mission, and for the first time, one crew member will undertake a one-year in-orbit stay. And notably, the crew includes Lai Ka-ying, the first astronaut from China's Hong Kong to travel to space, and the country's fourth female space traveler, as a payload specialist for the Shenzhou-23 spaceflight mission.
Zhu Yangzhu, the commander of the mission, described the trio as "three different pieces of a puzzle that fit perfectly together." The crew includes Zhu, a flight engineer; Zhang Zhiyuan, a spacecraft pilot, and Lai.
Beyond the harmony within the Shenzhou-23 crew, China is actually expanding the "puzzle" on a broader scale by selecting foreign astronauts for the manned space program, conducting international cooperation in the lunar exploration program, and carrying out satellite collaborations across the region and worldwide. The significance of China's major space projects is transcending national achievement, providing an open platform for international cooperation.
NEW FACES IN CREWED SPACEFLIGHT PROGRAM
At a press conference ahead of the launch of the Shenzhou-23 crewed spaceship on Sunday, attention also turned to the current status of two Pakistani astronauts selected as the first foreign astronauts for China's space mission training.
In early April, China completed its first selection process for foreign astronauts. Two Pakistani astronauts were selected and have then entered the Astronaut Center of China in Beijing, where they are participating in mission training alongside their Chinese counterparts.
Zhang Jingbo, spokesperson for the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA), said at the press conference that all related work is progressing smoothly.
The Pakistani astronauts are receiving training that focuses on developing hands-on operational capabilities, Zhang said. Language preparation is also underway, including basic Chinese knowledge and the relevant command vocabulary required for mission execution, he added.
Upon completing all required training and passing the assessments, one of the two will participate in a space mission as a payload specialist, becoming the first foreign astronaut to board China's Tiangong space station.
The selection and training of Pakistani astronauts represents a landmark achievement in international cooperation on China's space station and demonstrates China's open attitude in sharing its space development achievements with the international community, said the CMSA.
For Pakistan, closer aerospace cooperation with China offers a strategic opportunity to advance national space ambitions, build human capital, and contribute meaningfully to international space exploration efforts, said Muhammad Yasir, director of Project Management and System Engineering at Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) of Pakistan.
NEW FRONTIERS IN INT'L SPACE COOPERATION
China has never paused its pursuit of deep space exploration. Aiming for launch in the second half of 2026, the Chang'e-7 spacecraft is undergoing final preparations at the Wenchang Space Launch Site in south China's Hainan Province. It will travel to the moon to carry out environmental and resource surveys of the lunar south pole.
Over the past decade, China's Chang'e lunar exploration program has achieved a series of historic milestones. Chang'e-4 realized the world's first soft landing on the far side of the moon. Chang'e-5 completed lunar sampling and return, while Chang'e-6 accomplished humanity's first sample return from the moon's far side.
Portions of the lunar samples returned by China's Chang'e missions have been exhibited overseas, including in Austria, Japan and Thailand. In Bangkok, the exhibition drew significant public interest, offering visitors a rare opportunity to view material brought back from the Moon firsthand -- a reflection of the growing space cooperation between China and Thailand.
The two countries have signed memorandums of understanding on the exploration and peaceful use of outer space, as well as cooperation on the International Lunar Research Station, and plan to deepen collaboration on payloads for the upcoming Chang'e-7 and Chang'e-8 missions. Chang'e-7, for instance, will carry a Thai-developed global space weather monitoring instrument to observe cosmic radiation and space weather conditions from the lunar perspective.
Space cooperation between the two countries has also extended to other scientific missions. In 2024, China's Shijian-19 mission provided Thailand with a payload opportunity to send high-quality Thai rice seeds into space, aiming to cultivate crop varieties capable of withstanding harsh environments and enhancing food security.
Phee Choosri, deputy executive director of Thailand's Geo-informatics and Space Technology Development Agency, told Xinhua that China and Thailand have cooperated in the space field for many years and will further deepen collaboration in intelligent remote sensing, satellite engineering, and talent cultivation to advance regional space development.
SHARED FUTURE IN OUTER SPACE
Alongside flagship missions, China's commercial space sector is expanding rapidly. Official data show that in 2025, China conducted 50 commercial launches, accounting for 54 percent of the country's total launches that year.
Tan Kar Hing, deputy chairman of the Center of Regional Strategic Studies, a think tank in Malaysia, told Xinhua that strategic cooperation with China in satellite launch services and space technology is a pathway to upgrading digital infrastructure, cultivating local talent and strengthening competitiveness in high-value global industries.
Tan highlighted satellite communications and earth observation technologies as playing a vital role in Malaysia's digital economy transformation, applied in climate monitoring, disaster management and smart agriculture.
In Malaysia's geographically remote areas such as Sabah and Sarawak, satellite connectivity helps bridge the digital divide, enabling online education, telemedicine, e-commerce and digital entrepreneurship, he added.
"As one of China's indispensable strategic partners in Southeast Asia, Malaysia's cooperation with China in advanced technology sectors has long gone beyond purely commercial and technical exchanges. It also reflects the deep strategic trust, people-to-people technological exchanges, and long-term stable partnership between the two countries," he said.
In 70 years of sustained effort, China's space program has grown from launching its first satellite to achieving breakthroughs in human spaceflight and deep space exploration. Throughout this journey, the peaceful use of outer space for the benefit of all humanity has always been the original aspiration and mission of China's space program development.
As China advances more substantive and practical space partnerships, this philosophy is becoming increasingly tangible across the Asia-Pacific region. ■
