Space Station Crew on 25th Anniversary of China's First Uncrewed Spacecraft

Space Station Crew on 25th Anniversary of China's First Uncrewed Spacecraft

China's Shenzhou-19 crew aboard the orbiting Tiangong Space Station recorded a video to pay tribute to the heroes that dedicated their lives to China's space industry. The video was released on Wednesday, November 20, 2024, a day marking the 25th anniversary of the successful launch of China's first uncrewed spacecraft, Shenzhou-1, on November 20, 1999, from northwest China's Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.

To date, China has launched 19 Shenzhou spacecraft, 14 of these have sent 24 astronauts into space with the number of total trips reaching 38.

Crew members, Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze, were sent to the Tiangong Space Station on October 30, 2024, for a six-month long duration mission.

"On the same day 25 years ago, China's first uncrewed spacecraft was successfully launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The debut of the Long March 2F carrier rocket or CZ 2F shocked the world and the first flight of the Shenzhou-1 spacecraft made all the Chinese proud. China's crewed space program has taken the first step from blueprinting and dreaming to striving to realize the dream, laying a solid foundation for realizing the Chinese nation's millennium skyward dream," said Cai.

"Over the past 25 years, generations of astronauts have been confident, self-reliant and hardworking. With a coordinated national response and all people being of one mind, we have set new heights in exploring space again and again, including completing the strategic mission of three-step crewed space program, building the Chinese people's own space station, highlighting the Chinese Dream through realizing the Space Dream and writing a brilliant chapter in exploring the vast space," said Song.

"Our quest for the vast space will never end. Space exploration is a great feat in human history. It is an expedition with no end and we are always on the road. As astronauts in the new era, we must inherit the revolutionary traditions, shoulder the responsibility of building a great country, continue to climb on the shoulders of giants, and relay well the baton of history of our generation," said Wang.

"To accomplish our great mission, we must always remain true to our original aspiration. On such a memorable day, we pay tribute to all the heroes who have dedicated their youth, blood and even their lives to our country's aerospace industry. The prosperity is as you wish, please rest assured in the future," said the Shenzhou-19 mission crew.

Shenzhou-19 Crew:

Commander Cai Xuzhe (蔡旭哲)
Mission Specialist Wang Haoze (王浩泽)
Mission Specialist Song Lingdong (宋令东)

Video Credit: CCTV
Duration: 2 minutes, 19 seconds
Release Date: Nov. 21, 2024

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