China’s ambitious space program continues to push the boundaries of scientific exploration, with the upcoming Tianzhou-8 and Shenzhou-19 missions set to embark on a six-month mission that will include China’s first in-orbit aquatic ecology project. This groundbreaking initiative, led by the China Manned Space Agency, aims to establish a stable aquatic ecosystem in space using zebrafish and hornwort. The goal of this project is to achieve a breakthrough in cultivating vertebrates in space, unlocking new possibilities for scientific research.
According to Deputy Director Lin Xiqiang of the China Manned Space Agency, the crew will be responsible for conducting over 130 science and design projects on the Tiangong space station, involving researchers from various Chinese and international institutions. These projects will encompass a wide range of disciplines, including alloy materials for nuclear power plants, semiconductor alloy materials, artificial vascular tissue chips, and research on bone disease prevention and treatment.
In addition to the aquatic ecology project, the upcoming missions will also involve collaboration with scientists from the Russian and Japanese space agencies. In the past, small fish species have been used extensively in space research, with studies conducted on the International Space Station demonstrating the rapid bone density loss experienced by medakas in microgravity.
The findings from these research projects, both conducted in space and with samples returned to Earth, have yielded valuable scientific discoveries and contributed to advancements in technology and medicine. China’s space experiments have played a significant role in the development of new materials, treatments for bone diseases, and the understanding of human physiology in space.
As China’s space program continues to make strides, the upcoming Tianzhou-8 and Shenzhou-19 missions promise to break new ground in the exploration of space and contribute to the advancement of scientific knowledge.
