Windy Shao

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FIVE cutting-edge medical devices developed by Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology (SUAT) for a future space hospital research project were successfully launched aboard a spacecraft from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on Monday, the university announced.

The devices will undergo three years of in-orbit experiments, marking a significant step toward building the world’s first space hospital.

SUAT is the world’s first educational institution to propose the concept of a future space hospital. In July 2025, the university partnered with the Chinese Academy of Sciences on the project, which aims to enhance astronaut health and expand in-orbit medical monitoring and life-support capabilities.

The future space hospital is expected to drive breakthroughs in aerospace, medicine, and biology, while advancing cutting-edge research in space life and health support. It will also support research related to non-astronaut space travel, interstellar exploration, and other space health support needs.

“As global competition in space exploration intensifies, China is stepping up its efforts to address key technological gaps,” said Zhu Dijian, the university’s top leader. “The health challenges astronauts face in space have become a major focus of scientific research. By integrating strengths in medical devices, biomedicine, and innovative healthcare technologies with aerospace expertise, we aim to build a next-generation space medicine platform and secure a leading position for China in this field.”

According to Xu Zhiming, who first proposed the space hospital concept, the project will be implemented in three phases. The first phase — adapting advanced medical technologies for space applications and conducting in-orbit experiments — is now underway with the current launch. The second phase will involve establishing an in-orbit space hospital station to provide emergency medical aid and support scientific research in space. In the final phase, medical modules will be built on the moon or other planets to support human lunar missions and space travel.