China announced on Wednesday that a veteran astronaut will lead two crew members on their first flight to the Tiangong space station, the latest milestone in the country's race to send a manned mission to the moon by 2030.
The Shenzhou-20 mission is scheduled to blast off at 5.17pm on Thursday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, said Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the China Manned Space Agency.
At the helm will be Chen Dong, a 46-year-old former fighter pilot and experienced space explorer who in 2022 became the first Chinese astronaut to spend more than 200 cumulative days in orbit.
On his latest Shenzhou mission, his third, Chen said he was "still very excited".
Said the mission commander: "Every space journey is very unique, so I look forward to bringing in more experience and breakthroughs in the flight."
Joining Chen will be two other male astronauts, Chen Zhongrui, a 40-year-old former air force pilot, and Wang Jie, a 35-year-old former space technology engineer.
"Today, I am on the point of realising my dream of flying in space," said Chen Zhongrui.
"To be honest, when we first started training together, we were still a little nervous," he said of himself and Wang.
"Now [the three crew members] are integrated like they are a single person," he added.
The astronauts currently aboard the Tiangong space station are scheduled to return to Earth on April 29 after completing handover procedures with the incoming crew, Lin added.
China's space programme, the third to put humans in orbit, has also landed robotic rovers on Mars and the Moon.
The Tiangong space station – crewed by teams of three astronauts that are exchanged every six months – is the crown jewel of the country's space project.
Like previous missions, the Shenzhou-20 crew will continue to conduct experiments in physics and life sciences and will install protective equipment against space debris.
For the first time, they will also bring planarians aboard – aquatic flatworms known for their regenerative abilities.
"The results could help address problems related to injuries sustained in space environments," said Lin on Wednesday. (AFP)
Veteran to lead Thursday's Shenzhou-20 mission
2025-04-23 HKT 13:54
