China launches Shenzhou-23 with 3 astronauts 1 staying a year
China is about to launch its longest human spaceflight yet: Shenzhou-23 blasts off Sunday night with three astronauts headed for the Tiangong Space Station.
Here's the cool part: one astronaut will stay up there for a full year, testing how humans handle long-term life in space.
This is all part of China's big plan to put astronauts on the moon by 2030.
Li Jiaying 1st Hong Kong astronaut
Zhu Yangzhu leads as commander, Zhang Yuanzhi pilots, and Li Jiaying makes history as the first astronaut from Hong Kong to take part in a Chinese space mission.
The team will test new technology like rapid autonomous docking and study how things like radiation and isolation affect their bodies and minds over time.
All this research helps China get ready for future moon missions (keeps the U.S.-China lunar rivalry interesting).