The Shenzhou-19 crew will be conducting new experiments during their six-month stay aboard the China Space Station. The station also functions as the national space laboratory, and advances in different fields of space research have been made in the past two years. Sun Ye has more. 

The Shenzhou-19 crew will conduct a variety of space experiments during their stay in orbit. The China Manned Space Agency said 86 space science research projects and technological experiments have been planned for the next 6 months.

PROF. ZHANG WEI, Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization, Chinese Academy of Sciences "During this mission, we have many projects focusing on materials science. For example, we have arranged about a dozen different materials, such as semiconductor materials. We will measure their physical properties, and we will try to make new materials.

During the Shenzhou-19 mission, we will also send up a sub-magnetic facility with fruit flies. We know that in space, for instance, there's no magnetic field on the moon, while Mars has a weak magnetic field. So, we plan to create a sub magnetic environment on the space station by using magnetic shielding. After sending the fruit flies up, we'll observe what kind of biological reactions will occur under such conditions, including their development, growth, and any changes in their behavior. This will help us establish a theoretical understanding for our future exploration on the moon and Mars."

In the last two years, China's Space Station, or the National Space lab, has been expanding its scientific outreach.

PROF. ZHANG WEI, Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization, Chinese Academy of Sciences "In the past two years, we have sent up a total of 1.8 tons of samples and payloads and returned over 100 kilograms of samples. Many samples have also undergone in-depth research on the ground. There have been advances in research areas like space life sciences, space materials science, microgravity fluid science, fundamental physics and more."

SUN YE, Jiuquan, Gansu Province "Shenzhou 19 mission has come at a crucial moment. China Manned Space Agency that scientific objectives for China's first manned lunar mission and pre-landing flight tests have been outlined, including in key areas like science of the moon, lunar-based research, and lunar resource exploration and utilization. Sun Ye, CGTN, Jiuquan, Gansu Province."