China to launch new crewed mission into space this week
It is headed by Cai Xuzhe, a 48-year-old former air force pilot who served a previous stint aboard the Tiangong space station as part of the Shenzhou-14 mission in 2022.
Also among the crew is Wang Haoze, 35, who is China's only female spaceflight engineer and the third Chinese woman to take part in a crewed mission.
Song Lingdong, a 34-year-old man, completes the trio.
The Shenzhou-19 team has been carrying out tests to see how extreme radiation, gravity, temperature and other conditions affect "bricks" made from components imitating lunar soil, according to reports at the time of the launch.
Under President Xi Jinping, China has forged ahead with plans to achieve its "space dream".
Its space programme was the third to put humans in orbit and has also landed robotic rovers on Mars and the Moon.
The jewel in the crown is Tiangong, the space station staffed by teams of three astronauts that are rotated every six months.
Beijing says it is on track to send a crewed mission to the Moon by 2030.
In recent decades, the country has poured billions of dollars into developing an advanced space programme on par with the United States and Europe.
In 2019, it landed its Chang'e-4 probe on the far side of the Moon – the first spacecraft ever to do so. In 2021, it landed a small robot on Mars.
Tiangong, whose core module, Tianhe, launched in 2021, is planned to be used for about 10 years.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Paper
a day ago
- New Paper
HSA assessing rapid urine kits to speed up detection of etomidate in vapes
Rapid urine test kits could soon be used by the authorities to detect etomidate, an illicit substance increasingly found in vapes here. This marks another step in a recent clampdown against such vapes, known as Kpods, which have grown in appeal partly because some sellers claim the drug cannot be detected in urine. A Health Sciences Authority (HSA) spokeswoman said on Aug 7 that such claims are false. She added HSA was evaluating rapid urine test kits that could enable faster detection of etomidate use. Ways to test for etomidate in hair and using saliva are also in the works. Currently, vape pods, including those suspected to contain illicit substances such as etomidate, are tested at HSA's laboratories. They also conduct confirmation tests for etomidate in both blood and urine samples from patients admitted to hospitals. The spokeswoman added: "Our laboratory findings confirm that even trace amounts can be detected in the urine of those who are vaping etomidate." Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung said on July 20 the authorities were working to list etomidate as an illegal drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act. This came after a third of more than 100 vapes seized during enforcement operations and tested at random contained the substance. The legal update paves the way for abusers and traffickers of Kpods to face stricter punishment, such as mandatory rehabilitation and jail time for repeat offenders. Growing demand Law enforcement agencies in other countries are also finding ways to test for the illicit substance as they grapple with a growing trend of etomidate abuse. The substance, once called "space oil" in Hong Kong, has now been banned and renamed, and police there have been carrying rapid testing devices since January. The Hong Kong Free Press reported that the device can be inserted into a vape and detects the drug within 15 seconds with a 99 per cent accuracy rate. An etomidate rapid test kit used by the Hong Kong police force to detect the illicit substance in vape pods. Police there have been carrying these devices since January 2025. PHOTO: HONG KONG POLICE FORCE/X The substance emerged in the city in late 2023 and is now a scourge, with 327 etomidate abusers recorded in the first half of 2025, exceeding the 300 for the whole of 2024. Two manufacturers of etomidate rapid test kits told ST there is a growing global demand for their products. Chinese firm Hangzhou Clongene Biotech began developing urine and saliva rapid test kits two years ago in response to higher demand in China and abroad. A sales manager, who wanted to be known only as Ms Blanche, said it mainly supplies these kits to the government, hospitals and police. She told ST on Aug 12: "We received inquiries from some biopharmaceutical companies from Singapore in the past two weeks, and we are preparing samples for them to test now." Chinese firm Hangzhou Clongene Biotech began developing urine and saliva rapid test kits for etomidate two years ago in response to growing demand in China and abroad. PHOTO: HANGZHOU CLONGENE BIOTECH Mr Kutong, a technical support and market manager for Ecalbio, a Chinese company which started manufacturing such kits in 2018, said it sold 400,000 test kits in 2024, up from 300,000 in 2023 and 100,000 in 2022. He added that customers have come from the US, Canada and Russia, but not Singapore. Results in minutes The etomidate kits produced by these two companies resemble Covid-19 test kits. Urine and saliva samples can be tested on them, and results are displayed within five to 10 minutes. If etomidate is present, only the control line will become visible. A negative result is indicated by both the control and test lines becoming visible. In June, a published paper in scientific journal Dalton Transactions presented a new chromium(III) complex-based sensor which could test for etomidate. The sensor works by displaying a colour change if etomidate is present within vape liquids, and can provide accurate results within a minute, according to the research paper. The team of researchers from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Hong Kong Baptist University said vaping etomidate is a red-hot social issue that has led to health concerns and deaths. The researchers wrote: "A fast, sensitive and cost-effective detection tool for etomidate is urgently needed to support law enforcement."
AsiaOne
7 days ago
- AsiaOne
Healthy lifestyle changes could save Singapore $650m in healthcare costs by 2050: Study, Singapore News
SINGAPORE — If Singaporeans made sustained and long-term changes to their lifestyles, the Republic could save up to $650 million in direct healthcare costs by 2050. This according to a recently published modelling study that looked into how changing the way they live over 30 years could affect the health and healthcare spending of Singapore's Chinese, Malay and Indian ethnic groups. It simulated the effects of ageing over 30 years, and showed that the prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, stroke and heart disease is projected to increase sharply among older adults by 2050. This increase, coupled with the development of more advanced treatments, will propel the demand for healthcare and healthcare infrastructure, potentially driving medical inflation and overall expenditure. The study also showed that cost savings would arise due to people not experiencing significant changes in their chronic health issues — such as high blood pressure — as they age, and not so much because the lifestyle interventions led to widespread improvements in health outcomes or extended lifespans. Only a small group — approximately three per cent to seven per cent of older adults — would see improvements in their chronic disease status, live longer, and enjoy more disability-free years. The study, led by researchers from NUS' Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, is one of the first to quantify the long-term health and economic impact of behavioural change across different ethnic groups in Singapore's ageing population. Titled Disease Burden, Lifetime Healthcare Cost And Long-term Intervention Impact Projections Among Older Adults In Singapore, it was published in the journal Nature Ageing in July. The modelling study used data from the Singapore Multi-Ethnic Cohort (MEC) health study, which was designed to study ethnic differences in chronic disease risk, and consisted of 47 per cent Chinese, 26 per cent Malay and 27 per cent Indian participants. The 14,465 participants, aged between 21 and 94, were recruited between January 2004 and November 2010, and followed up between January 2011 and December 2016. The MEC was then reweighted to reflect older adults in Singapore in 2020, allowing the researchers to model long-term health trajectories and ethnic disparities in Singapore. The researchers modelled intervention scenarios aligned with Singapore's national preventative care initiative Healthier SG, focusing on improved blood pressure management, increased physical activity, sodium reduction and a combined intervention using all three strategies. Implementing all four interventions could lead to the projected savings by 2050. Assistant Professor Cynthia Chen, the study's principal investigator, said it provided a clearer picture of how lifestyle interventions can influence long-term health and healthcare spending in Singapore, without markedly extending life. The projected lifetime healthcare expenditure is the highest among Indians ($120,000), followed by the Chinese ($97,000) and Malays ($90,000). The lifetime healthcare costs are the highest in Indians due to prevalent chronic diseases and the lowest in Malays due to a shorter life expectancy. The researchers showed that while Malay and Indian older adults are projected to have a higher prevalence of chronic diseases and disabilities than Chinese older adults in Singapore, they stand to benefit most from sustained preventative strategies and targeted lifestyle programmes. The lifestyle interventions are projected to moderate the rise of chronic disease burdens and healthcare costs, while only marginally extending life and disability-free life years for a small group. "We realised it was because there's this very strong effect of ageing. Generally, as people age, they are already at a higher risk of getting all these conditions," Prof Chen said. "If you look at the National Population Health Survey, you don't actually see a reduction in chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes, despite the fact that the Health Promotion Board, in the last 10 years, has done a lot of work, such as (introducing) the National Steps Challenge." However, the Government is now looking at getting older adults to do more muscle strengthening exercises, instead of counting their steps, she said. Where sodium consumption is concerned, about 90 per cent of Singaporeans still exceed the recommended daily sodium intake, she added. Actions are needed to address poor management of chronic diseases such as hypertension, lack of strengthening activities or high-sodium diets and to reduce disparities, the paper said. Lifestyle interventions may produce more benefits for society if they are initiated at younger ages, providing a greater opportunity to delay or prevent hypertension and diabetes, according to the study. [[nid:720450]] This article was first published in The Straits Times . Permission required for reproduction.
New Paper
7 days ago
- New Paper
Singapore could save $650m in healthcare costs with healthy lifestyle changes: Study
If Singaporeans made sustained and long-term changes to their lifestyles, the Republic could save up to $650 million in direct healthcare costs by 2050. This according to a recently published modelling study that looked into how changing the way they live over 30 years could affect the health and healthcare spending of Singapore's Chinese, Malay and Indian ethnic groups. It simulated the effects of ageing over 30 years, and showed that the prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, stroke and heart disease is projected to increase sharply among older adults by 2050. This increase, coupled with the development of more advanced treatments, will propel the demand for healthcare and healthcare infrastructure, potentially driving medical inflation and overall expenditure. The study also showed that cost savings would arise due to people not experiencing significant changes in their chronic health issues - such as high blood pressure - as they age, and not so much because the lifestyle interventions led to widespread improvements in health outcomes or extended lifespans. Only a small group - approximately 3 per cent to 7 per cent of older adults - would see improvements in their chronic disease status, live longer, and enjoy more disability-free years. The study, led by researchers from NUS' Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, is one of the first to quantify the long-term health and economic impact of behavioural change across different ethnic groups in Singapore's ageing population. Titled Disease Burden, Lifetime Healthcare Cost And Long-term Intervention Impact Projections Among Older Adults In Singapore, it was published in the journal Nature Ageing in July. The modelling study used data from the Singapore Multi-Ethnic Cohort (MEC) health study, which was designed to study ethnic differences in chronic disease risk, and consisted of 47 per cent Chinese, 26 per cent Malay and 27 per cent Indian participants. The 14,465 participants, aged between 21 and 94, were recruited between January 2004 and November 2010, and followed up between January 2011 and December 2016. The MEC was then reweighted to reflect older adults in Singapore in 2020, allowing the researchers to model long-term health trajectories and ethnic disparities in Singapore. The researchers modelled intervention scenarios aligned with Singapore's national preventative care initiative Healthier SG, focusing on improved blood pressure management, increased physical activity, sodium reduction and a combined intervention using all three strategies. Implementing all four interventions could lead to the projected savings by 2050. Assistant Professor Cynthia Chen, the study's principal investigator, said it provided a clearer picture of how lifestyle interventions can influence long-term health and healthcare spending in Singapore, without markedly extending life. The projected lifetime healthcare expenditure is the highest among Indians ($120,000), followed by the Chinese ($97,000) and Malays ($90,000). The lifetime healthcare costs are the highest in Indians due to prevalent chronic diseases and the lowest in Malays due to a shorter life expectancy. The researchers showed that while Malay and Indian older adults are projected to have a higher prevalence of chronic diseases and disabilities than Chinese older adults in Singapore, they stand to benefit most from sustained preventative strategies and targeted lifestyle programmes. The lifestyle interventions are projected to moderate the rise of chronic disease burdens and healthcare costs, while only marginally extending life and disability-free life years for a small group. "We realised it was because there's this very strong effect of ageing. Generally, as people age, they are already at a higher risk of getting all these conditions," Prof Chen said. "If you look at the National Population Health Survey, you don't actually see a reduction in chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes, despite the fact that the Health Promotion Board, in the last 10 years, has done a lot of work, such as (introducing) the National Steps Challenge." However, the Government is now looking at getting older adults to do more muscle strengthening exercises, instead of counting their steps, she said. Where sodium consumption is concerned, about 90 per cent of Singaporeans still exceed the recommended daily sodium intake, she added. Actions are needed to address poor management of chronic diseases such as hypertension, lack of strengthening activities or high-sodium diets and to reduce disparities, the paper said. Lifestyle interventions may produce more benefits for society if they are initiated at younger ages, providing a greater opportunity to delay or prevent hypertension and diabetes, according to the study.
