The Chinese agency announced 2 manned missions and 1 freighter mission to its space station in 2026.
China is expected to launch 2 manned missions and 1 space freighter mission to operate its space station in 2026, according to the China Manned Space Agency.
An astronaut from the Hong Kong or Macau special administrative region is expected to fly a mission to the space station later this year, the CMSA noted.
An astronaut from the Shenzhou-23 crew will carry out a year-long stay-in-orbit experiment, CMSA said.
Currently, the Chinese space station is operating stably in orbit, with good performance. Since entering the application and development phase, China’s manned space program has successfully completed 6 manned missions, 4 cargo resupply missions and 7 spacecraft return missions. It also carried out the 1st emergency launch in 2025.
The 6 astronaut crews carried out long-term stays in orbit. A total of 13 EVAs (extravehicular activities) by astronauts and several application payload transfers outside the spacecraft were performed. Several extravehicular repair missions were flown and a new world record for the longest EVA performed by astronauts in one go was achieved.
The selection of the 4th group of astronaut candidates, including payload experts from Hong Kong and Macau, has also been completed.
Development of various tasks for the country’s manned lunar exploration program is progressing well, with several advances achieved in phases.
China is targeting a manned lunar landing by 2030. The development of key flight products, including the Long March-10 carrier rocket, the Mengzhou manned spacecraft and the Lanyue lunar lander, is proceeding smoothly. Key tests have been completed, including the zero-height abort test for the Mengzhou spacecraft, the landing and takeoff test for the Lanyue lunar lander, the static ignition test and the low-altitude demonstration and validation test for the Long March-10 rocket system, and the maximum dynamic pressure escape test for the Mengzhou spacecraft system.
In 2026, the country will intensify efforts to advance the construction of facilities and support equipment for the lunar mission at the Wenchang Space Launch Field, Hainan Province (in the south of the country), as well as the development of ground support systems.
From its inception and implementation, China’s manned space program has consistently upheld the principles of peaceful use, equality, mutual benefit and common development, actively promoting international cooperation and exchanges in human spaceflight.
In 2025, China and Pakistan signed an agreement on the selection and training of astronauts, with the selection process proceeding smoothly. According to the CMSA, a Pakistani astronaut will participate in a short-duration flight mission as a payload specialist to carry out scientific experiments on board the Chinese space station.
With information from .
