Three\u00a0Chinese\u00a0astronauts\u00a0on Thursday flew to an unfinished\u00a0space\u00a0station\u00a0in China\u2019s first crewed\u00a0mission\u00a0since 2016, expanding the country\u2019s already growing near-Earth presence and challenging U.S. leadership in orbital\u00a0space.
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\nThree Chinese astronauts on Thursday flew to an unfinished space station in China\u2019s first crewed mission since 2016, expanding the country\u2019s already growing near-Earth presence and challenging U.S. leadership in orbital space. The astronauts rode to Tianhe \u2013 the module that will be the living quarters of China\u2019s completed space station \u2013 on Shenzhou-12, or \u201cDivine Vessel.\u201d The crew boarded the module, where they will live for three months, the longest stay in low-Earth orbit by any Chinese national. China\u2019s space station, due to be finished by the end of 2022, will be the only alternative to the two-decade-old, U.S.-led International Space Station (ISS), which may be retired in 2024. If the ISS \u2013 backed mainly by the United States, Russia, Japan, Europe and Canada \u2013 is decommissioned, China would be the operator of the only active space station. That would potentially give it greater power in shaping future norms and regulations for near-Earth space, which is already teeming with Chinese satellites. \u201cAt this current stage, we haven\u2019t considered the participation of international astronauts, but their future participation will be guaranteed,\u201d said Zhou Jianping, chief designer of China\u2019s manned space program. \u201cI\u2019m aware that many countries have expressed their wish in this regard,\u201d Zhou told foreign reporters at the Shenzhou launch site in northwestern Gansu province. Shenzhou-12 is the third of 11 missions \u2013 four of which will be crewed \u2013 needed to complete China\u2019s first full-fledged space station. Construction began in April with the launch of Tianhe, a cylinder-like module slightly bigger than a city bus. The Shenzhou-12 astronauts Nie Haisheng,56, Liu Boming,54, and Tang Hongbo,45, will test out technologies on Tianhe including its life-support system. They will also be monitored for how they fare in space physically and psychologically. An upcoming mission to the space station will last six months. Barred by U.S. law from working with NASA and by extension on the ISS, China has spent the past decade developing technologies to build its own space station, in addition to planning missions to the moon, Mars and other planets. China plans to allow Hong Kong astronauts to join future missions, Zhou also said. \u2018First Baton\u2019 \u201cThis will be the first crewed flight in the space station (construction) phase, and I\u2019m lucky to be able to have the \u2018first baton\u2019,\u201d Nie told reporters a day before the launch. The veteran astronaut has been hailed by his team as a bastion of stability and a teacher figure who constantly challenges others with tough questions. \u201cAs long as we have him in our hearts, we have nothing to fear,\u201d fellow astronaut Wang Yaping, who is part of the Shenzhou-12 backup team, told state media previously. \u201cIn our crew, elder brother Nie is like the needle that stills the sea,\u201d she said. Liu Boming, like Nie, was from the first batch of astronauts selected in the 1990s for China\u2019s space program. Known for his intellect, Liu is often addressed by his colleagues as \u201cLittle Zhuge,\u201d the renowned military strategist who lived in China two millennia ago. On the Shenzhou-7 mission in 2008, Liu famously used a crowbar to pry open the hatch after it refused to open. Former air force pilot Tang Hongbo,45, was from a later batch of astronauts and trained for more than a decade before being selected for his first spaceflight on Shenzhou-12. \u201cI\u2019ve waited for 11 years, and finally I\u2019m ready, and I can contribute my strength,\u201d Tang told reporters on Wednesday. Since 2003, China has launched six crewed missions and sent 11 astronauts into space, including Zhai Zhigang, who carried out China\u2019s first space walk ever on the 2008 Shenzhou mission.<\/p>\n