# China sends astronaut on year-long mission, eyes 2030 moon landing 2026-08-08T06:53:43+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet China launched the Shenzhou 23 spacecraft from Jiuquan on Sunday night, sending three astronauts to the Tiangong space station. Among them, one astronaut will stay in orbit for a year to study human adaptability to long spaceflights. The crew includes Lai Ka-ying (also identified as Li Jiaying), the first astronaut from Hong Kong, who holds a doctorate in computer forensics. The mission advances China's goal of a crewed lunar landing by 2030, as competition with the US heats up. NASA aims to land astronauts on the moon by 2028. The Shenzhou 23 crew will rotate with the Shenzhou 21 team, which has spent over 200 days on the station. ## Coverage - millenniumpost.in Tags: China, Hong Kong astronaut, moon landing, Shenzhou 23, space mission, Tiangong station Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/china-sends-astronaut-on-year-long-mission-eyes-2030-moon-landing/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/china-sends-astronaut-on-year-long-mission-eyes-2030-moon-landing/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.