Three Chinese taikonauts to conduct 86 scientific experiments in space

Chinese manned spacecraft Shenzhou-19 with three taikonauts on board was successfully launched into low-Earth orbit from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China, UDN Global reports.

The spacecraft blasted off on October 29 at 23:27 Moscow time, or October 30 at 04:27 local time. A Long March 2 °F-19 launch vehicle was used for the liftoff. About ten minutes into the flight, the Shenzhou-19 manned spacecraft successfully separated from the rocket and flew into orbit.

There are three crew members on board the Shenzhou-19. They will conduct 86 scientific experiments in space, including experiments in the field of medicine, biology, fundamental physics of microgravity, materials science and space technology, the agency notes.

The space station is in orbit at an altitude of about 400 km, it is designed for three taikonauts. The station can temporarily accommodate up to six people in case of crew rotation.

This is China's fourth manned mission conducted as part of the nation's manned aerospace project.

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Shenzhou 19 is a Chinese spaceflight to the Tiangong space station, that was launched on 29 October 2024. It carried three taikonauts on board a Shenzhou spacecraft. The mission is the 14th crewed Chinese spaceflight and the 19th flight overall of the Shenzhou program.

"Astronaut" technically applies to all human space travelers regardless of nationality. However, astronauts fielded by Russia or the Soviet Union are typically known instead as cosmonauts (from the Russian "kosmos" (космос), meaning "space", also borrowed from Greek κόσμος). Comparatively recent developments in crewed spaceflight made by China have led to the rise of the term taikonaut (from the Mandarin "tàikōng" (太空), meaning "space"), although its use is somewhat informal and its origin is unclear. In China, the People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps astronauts and their foreign counterparts are all officially called hángtiānyuán (航天员, meaning "heaven navigator" or literally "heaven-sailing staff").