China successfully launched its crewed Shenzhou-23 spacecraft, a spacecraft that will dock with a space station, as part of its ambitions to send humans to the Moon by 2030. The mission will see a Chinese astronaut spend a full year in orbit on the Tiangong space station. This is a crucial first in the Chinese lunar landing programme and marks the first spaceflight by an astronaut from Hong Kong. The crew will perform numerous scientific projects on the station, including a full-year stay in orbit to study the effects of a long stay in microgravity. The launch was a success as the astronauts are in good condition and are set to welcome their first foreign astronaut, from Pakistan, aboard the Teddong station by the end of this year.