China to launch Shenzhou-20 crewed spaceship on April 24
The Shenzhou-20 crewed spaceship is scheduled to be launched at 5:17 p.m. Thursday (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said on Wednesday, Xinhua reports.
The spaceship will carry three astronauts, Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie, who will conduct the Shenzhou-20 spaceflight mission, with Chen Dong serving as the commander, CMSA spokesman Lin Xiqiang stated at a press conference.
He also noted that the launch day coincides with China's 10th Space Day.
China designated April 24 as its Space Day in 2016 to mark the successful launch of its first satellite, Dongfanghong-1, on April 24, 1970.
Thursday's launch will use a Long March-2F carrier rocket, which will be filled with propellant soon, Lin revealed, while adding that all preparation work is progressing smoothly.
Shenzhou-20 is the 35th flight mission of China's manned space program, and the fifth crewed mission during the application and development stage of China's space station.
After entering orbit, the Shenzhou-20 spaceship will require about 6.5 hours to perform its automated rendezvous and docking with the radial port of the space station core module Tianhe, thereby forming a combination of three modules and three spacecraft, Lin said.
During their 6-month stay in orbit, the Shenzhou-20 crew members will witness the arrivals of both the Tianzhou-9 cargo craft and their successors in the Shenzhou-21 crewed spaceship.
"The crew members are in good condition, while the rocket, spaceship and ground system facilities are all in stable operation, and the orbiting space station complex is working normally," Lin said. He added that all task teams are ready for the upcoming launch.
The trio is scheduled to return to the Dongfeng landing site in north China in late October this year, Lin said.
Recall that China launched Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceship for space station mission last October.
