Pakistan, May 25 -- China launched three astronauts into space on Sunday as Beijing intensified preparations for a crewed moon landing by 2030. The Shenzhou-23 mission will include China's longest human space stay, with one astronaut remaining aboard the Tiangong station for a year. The mission highlights China's growing ambitions in the global space race against the United States.

The Shenzhou-23 spacecraft lifted off aboard a Long March-2F Y23 rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China. The crew includes commander Zhu Yangzhu, pilot Zhang Yuanzhi, and payload specialist Li Jiaying. Li became the first astronaut from Hong Kong to participate in a Chinese space mission.

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