Chinese space mission blasts off to test lunar bricks

Three Chinese astronauts blasted off on a mission to China's Tiangong space station in the early hours of Wednesday.

The Shenzhou-19 mission took off carrying crew leader Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong, and Wang Haoze, who is China's first female spaceflight engineer.

"Like everyone else, I dream of going to the space station to have a look," Wang told reporters.

"I want to meticulously complete each task and protect our home in space."

The Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceship took off in the early hours of Wednesday morningImage: Li Xin/Xinhua News Agency/picture alliance

Chinese astronauts to test lunar bricks

China is hoping to achieve a manned moon landing by 2030 and to construct a lunar research station by 2035.

To that end, the Shenzhou-19 mission crew is planning to conduct a number of experiments including testing how bricks made from simulated lunar soil withstand the high-radiation, low-gravity conditions of space.

China is aiming to build a future base out of bricks made from lunar soil due to the high cost associated with sending up construction materials from Earth.

"During the Shenzhou-19 flight ... 86 space sci-tech experiments will be carried out in the fields of space life sciences, microgravity physics, materials, medicine, new technologies," said Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

zc/nm (AFP, Reuters)