Chinese Astronauts Complete Long-Duration Space Mission Studies

The crew of China’s Shenzhou-23 space station have completed emergency decision-making assessments and emotional state tests, part of broader efforts to study how long-term spaceflight affects behaviour, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said on Monday. The three crew members, including a female member from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, have been aboard the Tiangong space station for nearly two months. One of them will stay in orbit for one year to carry out China’s first human space environment research programme and collect data on astronauts’ long-duration spaceflight. In a recent weekly video released by CMSA on Sunday, the crew were seen wearing sensors and virtual reality (VR) headsets to monitor brain waves. The tests are among more than 100 science and application projects underway at the station. In addition to space medicine, the crew have also installed biological radiation exposure research devices and external cameras on one of the space station’s laboratory modules, and conducted tests on measurement instruments carried as mission payloads. According to the agency, a new type of energy storage battery will be tested in orbit, with results expected to support future upgrades to the space station. China launched the Shenzhou-23 crewed spacecraft on 24 May. A highlight of this mission is the planned one-year orbital stay for one of its crew members. Previously, crewed missions to Tiangong lasted about six months. As China continues to pursue its deep-space exploration ambitions, long-duration missions are expected to become more frequent, placing greater demands on astronauts’ physical and mental endurance.