At 5:17 p.m. on April 24, China will send its Shenzhou-20 crewed spacecraft skyward from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, kicking off a six-month mission aboard its burgeoning space station.
The crew of threeastronauts Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jiewill conduct scientific experiments, maintenance tasks and technology demonstrations as they live and work in microgravity.
Once Shenzhou-20 reaches orbit, it will perform an automated rendezvous and docking with the radial port of the Tianhe core module about 6.5 hours later. This link will join three spacecraft and three station modules into a single complex.
During their stay, the astronauts will welcome two visitors: the Tianzhou-9 cargo vessel and the Shenzhou-21 crewed spacecraft on their resupply and crew-rotation missions.
After roughly six months in orbit, China plans to bring the Shenzhou-20 crew home in late October, capping another milestone in its expanding human spaceflight program.
With new research facilities and growing international interest, this mission showcases Chinas rising capabilities in low Earth orbit and offers fresh inspiration for space enthusiasts worldwide.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
