International Day of Human Space Flight: Status check on China in 2025

On this day 64 years ago, the Soviet Union's Yuri Gagarin became the first human to journey into space, marking the dawn of human spaceflight. Today, as the world celebrates the International Day of Human Space Flight, China stands proudly among the stars, having carved its own remarkable path in the cosmos.

China's manned space program, once a distant dream, has become a shining reality. It began in 1992 with a bold plan to send Chinese astronauts – taikonauts – into space. Years of relentless effort bore fruit when Yang Liwei made history aboard Shenzhou-5 in 2003, becoming China's first person in space.

Since then, China's ambitions have soared. The China Space Station, a symbol of ingenuity and perseverance, now orbits Earth as a permanent outpost for scientific discovery. Astronauts conduct cutting-edge experiments, grow crops in microgravity and collaborate with international partners, proving that space is a frontier for all humanity.

As the space station entered its routine operation, China's space program is now aiming for a crewed lunar landing by 2030.

Beyond the moon, China eyes Mars. The success of Tianwen-1 and the Zhurong rover laid the groundwork for future astronauts to walk on the red planet. With the next-generation crewed spacecraft in development, China is poised to venture even deeper into the solar system.

(Graphics by Yin Yating)