China Launches Shenzhou-23 With First Year-Long Mission
China Launches Shenzhou-23 With First Year-Long Mission
The Spin
NASA's Artemis program isn't just a moonshot — it's a full-scale plan to establish a permanent lunar outpost with habitats, robotics and long-duration crews as a direct stepping stone to Mars. China has never landed anyone on the Moon, while NASA already has a woman assigned for lunar orbit. Aspirations and orbital missions don't close that gap.
China just launched its 23rd crewed space mission, with its astronauts spending a full year in orbit designed to test the exact conditions needed for future Moon bases and long-term deep -space habitation. Artemis keeps slipping while Beijing keeps executing on schedule. The first woman to reach the Moon may very well be Chinese, and that's not speculation — it's a trajectory.
Metaculus Prediction
There's a 50% chance that China will land the next person on the Moon, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
The Controversies
Go Deeper
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