In a landmark moment for China’s human spaceflight program, the Shenzhou-20 crew has docked with the China Space Station, uniting with the Shenzhou-19 astronauts to kick off the nation’s sixth in-orbit crew handover.
At 1:17 a.m., the Shenzhou-19 crew opened the station hatch to welcome their new teammates, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). Shortly after, all six astronauts gathered for group photos, marking the sixth crew gathering in China’s aerospace history.
Over the next five days, this six-member team will live and work together to complete scheduled experiments and station maintenance, ensuring a smooth transition of duties between missions.
Following the handover, the Shenzhou-19 crew is scheduled to return to the Dongfeng landing site in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on April 29, wrapping up another successful chapter in China’s expanding space program.
As the sixth handover unfolds, globally minded readers and space fans can look forward to updates on station experiments, daily life on board, and upcoming milestones in China’s space journey.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
