China's space endeavor in 2025: Manned spaceflight, deep space exploration and a look ahead

In the past year, China's manned space program marked a milestone year, featuring a rare in-orbit emergency response, record-breaking astronaut achievements, and steady progress toward the Moon and deep space.

Manned space program: Resilience and milestones

Coinciding with the 55th anniversary of the successful launch of Dongfanghong-1 satellite and China's 10th Space Day, China launched the Shenzhou-20 manned spacecraft on April 24. The mission was the fifth crewed flight during the space station's application and development phase and the 35th launch of China's manned space program. Veteran Chinese astronaut Chen Dong served as mission commander, joined by first-time flyers Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie.

Later in the year, on October 31, the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft carried astronauts Zhang Lu, Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang to the space station.

As the Shenzhou-20 crew prepared to return, tiny cracks were found in the return capsule's viewport window, possibly caused by a micro-debris impact. Although not immediately dangerous, the China Manned Space Agency announced the spacecraft did not meet the requirements for the astronauts' safe return. China responded swiftly by activating emergency procedures, making its first-ever emergency launch in manned spaceflight history. On November 25, the uncrewed Shenzhou-22 spacecraft was launched to deliver supplies, spare parts and specialized equipment to repair the cracked window.

The Shenzhou-20 astronauts ultimately returned safely on November 14 by transferring to the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft, marking China's first crew return via a "spacecraft changeover."

The Shenzhou-20 mission set new records, with the crew spending 204 days in orbit. Chen Dong became the first Chinese astronaut to exceed 400 cumulative days in space and holds the national record for the most extravehicular activities (EVAs). During the mission, the crew completed four EVAs and a wide range of scientific experiments across physics, materials science, life science and aerospace medicine.

The Shenzhou-21 crew has been in orbit for nearly two months. The trio has completed their first EVAs, during which – supported by the space station’s robotic arm and ground-based research teams—they successfully carried out a series of tasks, including inspecting and photographing the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft’s return capsule window, installing space-debris protection devices, and replacing the insulation cover on a thermal control adapter.

Deep space exploration: Reaching farther

China's ambitions go beyond low Earth orbit.

On May 29, the Tianwen-2 probe was launched on a complex, long-duration mission. The probe has begun its mission to collect and return samples from asteroid 2016 HO3 and later explore comet 311P. It will return asteroid samples to Earth by 2027, then continue on to study comet 311P. Equipped with 11 scientific instruments, the probe will complete 13 mission stages.

China plans to launch the Tianwen-3 mission around 2028, aiming to return no less than 500 grams of Martian samples to Earth by around 2031.

Supporting such goals, China established the International Deep Space Exploration Association in July in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province. The organization will focus on deep space study, which includes probes into the moon, other planets and asteroids, and promote international cooperation.

In September, Chinese scientists unveiled a comprehensive plan for near-Earth asteroid defense system, calling for international collaboration to protect Earth from potential threats.

The country is also holding firm to its goal of landing astronauts on the moon by 2030, and this year has seen significant progress toward it.

The Long March-10 rocket, which is designed to serve the manned lunar exploration missions, has passed two static fire tests, comprehensively verifying the performance of the rocket's first-stage propulsion system and its recovery and reuse capabilities.

Mengzhou (meaning Dream Vessel), the country's next-generation crewed spacecraft, has completed a zero-altitude escape test to verify the spacecraft's emergency escape system, a decisive step towards China's first crewed lunar mission.

The Lanyue (meaning Embracing the Moon) lander has completed a comprehensive landing and takeoff verification test, validating the integrated performance of the lander's key systems.

A Peek into 2026: Steady progress and new horizons

Four major spaceflight missions are planned for 2026: the Tianzhou-10 cargo flight, the Shenzhou-23 and Shenzhou-24 manned missions, and the inaugural flight of the Mengzhou-1 spacecraft.

Both Shenzhou-23 and Shenzhou-24 will carry three-member crews, with one astronaut on Shenzhou-23 set to undertake a long-duration mission exceeding one year in orbit. The first launch of Mengzhou-1 in 2026 will be an uncrewed test flight using the Long March-10A rocket, validating the spacecraft's systems and its role in future lunar missions.

Besides, China's Chang'e-7 mission is planned for launch in 2026 to survey the moon's south pole, focusing on water ice and testing cutting-edge technologies critical for sustainable human activities on the moon. Chang'e-8, expected around 2029, will test in-situ resource utilization, laying the foundation for future International Lunar Research Station.