China is set to launch the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft on Sunday at 11:08 p.m. from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, using a Long March-2F Y23 rocket. The mission, part of preparations to send humans to the Moon by 2030, will see three astronauts spend one year aboard the Tiangong space station, marking a new record for China’s space program. The crew includes commander Zhu Yangzhu, pilot Zhang Yuanzhi, and payload specialist Li Jiaying, the first astronaut from Hong Kong and a former police officer.

The mission aims to study the physical and psychological effects of long-term space habitation, including radiation exposure, bone density loss, and mental stress. It will also test the feasibility of extended human stays in space, a key step toward China’s lunar ambitions.

The launch comes as the United States targets a 2028 human lunar landing, while China plans its own by 2030 and envisions a joint permanent lunar base with Russia by 2035.