25th Anniversary of China’s First Uncrewed Spacecraft

China’s Shenzhou-19 crew aboard the orbiting Tiangong space station recorded a video to pay tribute to the heroes who dedicated their youth, blood and even their lives to China’s space industry.

The video was released on Wednesday, a day marking the 25th anniversary of successful launch of China’s first uncrewed spacecraft, Shenzhou-1, on Nov 20, 1999 from northwest China’s Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. Up to date, China has launched 19 Shenzhou spacecraft, 14 of which have sent 24 astronauts into space, with the number of total trips reaching 38.

Three crew members were sent into the space station on Oct 30th for a six-month mission.