ST. PETERSBURG, May 31 -- The successful launch of Shenzhou-16 manned spacecraft, which delivered three taikonauts to the Tiangong space station, is a major achievement in Chinese and global aerospace industry, says a Russian expert.

Aleksandr Zheleznyakov, a Russian historian of astronautics and member of the Tsiolkovsky Russian Academy of Cosmonautics, told Xinhua on Tuesday that the surprising and very meaningful launch brings more possibilities for human exploration of space and the universe.

Even though humans have been in space for more than 60 years, the launch of any manned spacecraft remains a unique and significant event.

"China demonstrates high level and rapid development in space industry, and China's achievements in this area are becoming more and more remarkable every year," said Zheleznyakov.

He said China's research in aerospace areas such as Mars and lunar exploration also attracts the world's attention.

Russia and China could carry out cooperation on multiple exploration projects regarding the moon, and various planets including Venus and Mars, he said.

"Given China's technological capabilities and recent developments in space, it could be fruitful to have Chinese participation," said the expert.