Taizhou-made products support Shenzhou XXIII mission

China launches the Shenzhou XXIII manned mission on May 24 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. [Photo by Wang Jiangbo/For China Daily]

China's Shenzhou XXIII crewed spacecraft launched on May 24 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China. Multiple components produced in Taizhou, East China's Zhejiang province, were used in the mission, highlighting the city's growing role in aerospace manufacturing.

At Xianglong Food Container Technology in Huangyan district, engineers developed specialized food containers used by astronauts to store and heat meals. The containers, built with a multi-layer composite structure, can preserve staple foods at room temperature for up to three years without requiring any preservatives. Each unit is designed to be compatible with more than 80 types of space meals used in orbit.

The company supplies more than 15,000 aerospace-grade food containers annually for China's crewed space program.

In addition to food packaging, Taizhou Huangyan Jingtian Mold, a local mold manufacturer, produced the front and top visor components of the astronaut helmet for the Shenzhou XXIII mission. The visor components require extremely high precision to withstand extreme temperature variations and radiation in space, with manufacturing tolerances controlled within 0.01 millimeters, ensuring clear, distortion-free vision for astronauts in orbit.

Wang Ruocheng, general manager of Taizhou Huangyan Jingtian Mold, said the company will continue expanding into the aerospace and aviation sectors, including the future development of pilot equipment and advanced protective components.