Riding the Vessel Toward the Heavenly Palace, Chasing Dreams to Grasp the Stellar River — A Firsthand Account of the Shenzhou-23 Crewed Mission Crew's Departure

Riding the Vessel Toward the Heavenly Palace, Chasing Dreams to Grasp the Stellar River — A Firsthand Account of the Shenzhou-23 Crewed Mission Crew's Departure

■ Yang Zifan, PLA Daily Reporter Zhao Qian

Astronauts Zhu Yangzhu (center), Zhang Zhiyuan (right), and Li Jiaying at the departure ceremony. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Cai Yang.

"Her rainbow garments trail their broad sashes, floating and drifting as she ascends to heaven."

On May 24, deep in the desert, on the banks of the Ruoshui River, the milk-white Long March-2F Yao-23 carrier rocket stood ready to launch. On the mission insignia for Shenzhou-23, the flowing ribbons raised at the arms of the "Flying Apsara goddess" once again drew the world's gaze to yet another magnificent new chapter of the "dream of flight."

This is a dream-chase surging with the energy of youth——

At approximately 20:18, beginning from the Wentian Pavilion, the three astronauts of the Shenzhou-23 crewed mission crew set out together. Commander Zhu Yangzhu strode forward with bold and resolute steps. From his first spaceflight in May 2023 to his return to "Tiangong" in May 2026, he once again stepped to the rhythm of his dreams, flying toward the brilliant starry sky.

Astronaut Zhang Zhiyuan smiled and waved to the people who had come to see them off on both sides of the passageway. Once he piloted fighter jets over deserts and patrolled the sea and sky; now he pilots "Shenzhou" to knock on the vault of heaven and roam the stellar river. Making his first spaceflight, his eyes were filled with boundless longing for the vast universe.

On the chest of astronaut Li Jiaying, who comes from Hong Kong, the beautiful bauhinia flower on her mission insignia shone in harmony with her radiant smile. As a payload specialist, she is primarily responsible for various space science experiment tasks during this space journey.

This is a dream of incomparable splendor——

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1, ignition!" At 23:08, Shenzhou rose and pierced the heavens. The brilliance of the flames lit up the night sky, resonating with the heartbeats of hundreds of millions of Chinese people.

In the crowd, science fiction writer Liu Cixin gazed up at the starry sky and offered his finest wishes to the astronauts racing toward the universe: "Our technology can build a very good living environment for humanity in space — this is even better than what I imagined when I was writing. I believe that China's space program in the future will bring us even more stunning science fiction scenes."

In the stellar river, time flows quietly. The stories of China's space workers breaking through the boundaries of imagination time and again are more vivid and more romantic than any work of science fiction.

Seventy years ago, Qian Xuesen submitted to the Central Committee the "Proposal for Establishing China's National Defense Aviation Industry." In October 1956, China's first rocket and missile research institution — the Fifth Research Academy of the Ministry of National Defense — was established. From that moment, China's space program took its first step of historic significance.

Forty years ago, amid the surging tide of the world's scientific and technological revolution, China's "863 Program" was born, and space technology was designated as one of the key fields for China's development of high technology. China's space workers carried on and accelerated their advance.

Ten years ago, the Tiangong-2 space laboratory and the Shenzhou-11 crewed spacecraft were launched in succession, achieving a perfect conclusion to the second step of China's crewed spaceflight program's "three-step" strategy.

On this night, among the crew of the Shenzhou-23 crewed mission embarking on their space journey, one astronaut will conduct a one-year on-orbit extended stay experiment. The duration of Chinese astronauts' "space business trips" has begun to enter an "annual mode."

This is a shared journey to the stars to realize a dream——

The tail flame of the rocket gradually became a small point of light, finally merging into the vast darkness of the night. Inside Dongfeng Space City, countless eager gazes remained fixed on the center of the "dream of flight."

In the command-and-control hall, Guo Liguo, a medical monitoring and healthcare physician with the China Astronaut Research and Training Center test team, carefully observed the various physiological signals on the screen, ensuring the health and safety of the three astronauts, and put into action the pledge: "The astronauts are in my heart; the astronauts' safety is in my hands."

In the meteorological consultation hall, Kang Lin, the primary person in charge of the meteorological system for this launch mission, kept his eyes fixed on the radar imagery on the screen, "conversing" with heaven and earth in the silent dark of night, making precise assessments of every shift in wind and cloud.

Beside the launch tower, platform commander Gao Fei monitored the launch process in real time. This veteran space worker, who has been rooted in his post for 19 years, said: "It is the era that has given us the precious opportunity to lift rockets to soar high."

In the Dashu tracking and control zone, upon hearing the report of "optical and radar tracking normal," tracking and control operator Yin Shenggang felt a spontaneous surge of joy. From Shenzhou-1 to Shenzhou-23, he and his team members have successfully completed every tracking and control mission, and have personally witnessed one brilliant moment after another in the history of China's crewed spaceflight development……

Approximately ten minutes later, the spacecraft and rocket successfully separated and entered the predetermined orbit, and the launch mission was a complete success.

The stellar river blazes bright; the journey is not yet done. Brave in exploration, pressing ardently forward. Tonight, the Shenzhou-23 crew, bearing the great force of national rejuvenation and the hopes of hundreds of millions of people, rides "Shenzhou" toward "Tiangong," taking ever more resolute steps into the depths of the universe.

(PLA Daily, Jiuquan, May 24)