China's Shenzhou-23 Docks With Tiangong as Year-Long Astronaut Rotation Reshapes Station Operations

China's launch of three astronauts aboard Shenzhou-23 marks one of the nation's longest crewed missions to its Tiangong space station, with at least one crew member expected to remain on orbit for up to a year — a duration that signals a operational shift in how Beijing sustains its orbital presence and advances its lunar landing programme.