Overview
- Twenty‑eight astronauts rotated through six‑day, five‑night underground sessions in Wulong, Chongqing, completing China’s first cave‑survival program.
- Teams trained in 8°C, 99% humidity conditions while performing cave mapping, environmental monitoring, simulated space–ground communications, and surprise medical evacuations.
- Veteran taikonaut Ye Guangfu directed the program and emphasized minimal in‑cave support to strengthen autonomy and problem‑solving, drawing on his ESA CAVES experience.
- Each session added two days of jungle survival training, and the completion was announced Jan. 5 on the Chinese Astronaut Corps’ 28th anniversary.
- Officials positioned the drill within broader lunar preparations that included 2025 rocket and spacecraft tests, with a first Long March 10A flight expected in 2026 and continued extreme‑environment training planned.