Five cutting-edge medical research projects from Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology’s “Future Space Hospital” initiative were successfully launched aboard an experimental spacecraft from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on March 30, the university said.

The projects will undergo in-orbit experiments over the next three years, marking a significant step in turning the world’s first “future space hospital” concept into a functional reality.

Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology (SUAT) is the first institution globally to propose and implement the “future space hospital” concept. In July 2025, the university teamed up with the Innovation Academy for Microsatellites of the Chinese Academy of Sciences to jointly develop the initiative.

The project aims to enhance astronaut health protection and advance human healthcare by expanding in-orbit medical monitoring and life-support capabilities. By bridging the gap between aerospace engineering, medicine, and biology, the initiative seeks to solve disease prevention and treatment challenges for future space tourism and interplanetary exploration. 

“As global competition in space exploration intensifies, China is strengthening its efforts to fill critical technological gaps,” said Zhu Dijian, Party secretary of the university.

“The health challenges faced by astronauts 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.”

The concept of the future space hospital was first proposed by Xu Zhiming, executive director of the university’s Future Medicine Center and dean of its Clinical Medical School.

According to Xu, the project will be implemented in three phases. The first phase involves adapting advanced medical technologies for space applications and conducting in-orbit experiments — now underway with this launch. The second phase will establish an in-orbit “space hospital station” to support emergency medical response and scientific research in space. The final phase envisions building medical modules on the Moon or other planets to support human lunar missions and space travel.