China to send fresh crew to Tiangong space station

China to send fresh crew to Tiangong space station

JIUQUAN, Gansu: China will send a fresh crew to its Tiangong space station on Thursday ( Apr 25 ) evening, Beijing’s Manned Space Agency announced, the latest mission in a programme that aims to send astronauts to the Moon by 2030.

The Shenzhou- 18 vision – crewed by three explorers– is scheduled to take off at 8.59 am on Thursday ( 1259 GMT ) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in west China, Beijing announced on Wednesday.

Thou Guangfu, a warrior captain and astronaut who was formerly a member of the Shenzhou- 13 crew in 2021, will be in charge of it.

Li Cong and Li Guangsu, two of whom are launching into storage for the first time, did join him.

The most recent Tiangong pilots will spend six months in space conducting research in both life sciences and weight.

According to state media company Xinhua, they will also work on a “project on substantial- quality global greenhouse gas detection,” according to China Manned Space Agency assistant director general Lin Xiqiang.

” All post- start arrangements are on routine”, he said.

They will collaborate with other active explorers to carry out the follow-up missions to the space station and carry out the nation’s guarded solar landing.

The Tiangong, which means “heavenly palace,” is the pinnacle of a place program that has allowed China to place people in orbit on Mars and the Moon after mechanical rovers were landed on Mars.

Design is set to be finished in 2022, and it is continually being run by rotating team of three astronauts.

The Tiangong is anticipated to remain in low Earth orbit for at least ten years, somewhere between 400 and 450 kilometers above the earth.

The fresh crew will remove the Shenzhou- 17 staff, who were sent to the station in October.