IAS Gyan

Daily News Analysis

Shenzhou-16 Mission

31st May, 2023 Science and Technology

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Context

  • China sent its first civilian astronaut into orbit, as it launched the Shenzhou-16 mission to its Tiangong space station.

Shenzhou 16

  • Shenzhou 16 is a Chinese spaceflight to the Tiangong space station, launched on 30 May 2023 on board a Shenzhou spacecraft.
  • It carries two People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps (PLAAC) taikonauts and a payload specialist from Beihang University.
  • The mission is the eleventh crewed and sixteenth flight overall of the Shenzhou program.

TIANGONG SPACE STATION: https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/tiangong-space-station

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q. China pushing ahead in space and rapidly scaling up its capabilities is a major global challenge. How India and China compare in space capabilities? Elucidate.