China is sending new astronauts to the Tiangong space station

China has sent new astronauts into space. They are supposed to carry out experiments on the Tiangong space station – and, among other things, breed fish.

Shortly before 9 p.m. local time, the launch vehicle carrying the Shenzhou-18 spacecraft lifted off from China’s space center in the Gobi Desert. On board the spacecraft: three Chinese astronauts. Around seven hours later they reached the Tiangong space station, or “sky palace” in German.

The crew replaces the current three-person team on the space station, which has been on board the Tiangong since October. They are scheduled to fly back in a few days.

Waving goodbye: Chinese astronauts Li Guangsu, Li Cong, and Ye Guangfu are supposed to be in space for six months.

Task: Breed fish in space

The new team consists of commander Ye Guangfu, who took part in a space mission in 2021, as well as his colleagues Li Cong and Li Guangsu, who are in space for the first time.

They will spend around six months on the space station and carry out various experiments there. Among other things, experiments with fish are planned to find out more about the life of animals in space.

“One of our tasks this time is to breed fish in space,” Commander Ye Guangfu said on Chinese state television before departure. Several scientific laboratory cabinets would enable tests and experiments on the space station, including with small creatures and insects.

Chinese are not allowed on the ISS

The Chinese space station Tiangong is significantly smaller than the International Space Station ISS. Among other things, the People’s Republic decided to build its own space station because Chinese people are not allowed on board the ISS. A US law prohibits the American space agency NASA from sharing data with the People’s Republic.

The Chinese government is pursuing an ambitious space program. State and party leader Xi Jinping has declared it his goal for the People’s Republic to become a leader in space. The country has already sent a rover to Mars and probes to the moon. In around ten years, the Chinese state and party leadership wants to fly people to Mars and operate a base on the planet.