Recent progress on the Chinese space program

The China National Space Administration (CNSA) has launched a series of spacecraft for navigation, weather, and exploration. With increasing interest in space exploration, it has become necessary to study the effect of space microgravity on astronauts’ health. Several experiments related to human and animal cells as well as host-microbe interaction have been conducted on Chinese spacecraft in orbit. Various Chinese spacecraft, such as Tiangong-1 and -2, Shenzhou I-VII, and Shenzhou VIII-X, have been successful in bringing biological samples back to Earth, and their subsequent analysis has shed light on the influence of microgravity on cell physiology. This chapter describes various manned and unmanned spacecraft launched by CNSA and their contributions to understanding the effect of space on the health of astronauts. Moreover, the potential therapeutics to counter the harsh space environment for the long-term safety of astronauts and missions have also been discussed.