China’s newest human spaceflight challenge headed for orbit on Thursday morning (April 24).A Lengthy March 2F rocket crowned with the Shenzhou 20 workforce spacecraft lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite tv for pc Release Heart in northwest China on April 24 at 5:17 a.m. EDT (0917 GMT; 5:17 p.m. Beijing time).Shenzhou 20 carried commander Chen Dong, on his 3rd shuttle to area, and rookie astronauts Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie, either one of whom had been decided on for China’s 3rd consumption of astronauts in 2020.
You could like
A Lengthy March-2F rocket launches the Shenzhou 20 workforce from the Jiuquan Satellite tv for pc Release Heart in northwest China on April 24, 2024 at 5:17 a.m. EDT. (Symbol credit score: China Central Tv (CCTV))The Shenzhou 20 spacecraft is scheduled to rendezvous and dock on the Tiangong area station round 6.5 hours after release. There, they are going to be greeted via the incumbent Shenzhou 19 workforce, led via commander Cai Xuzhe. Cai and his two colleagues will quit regulate of Tiangong to the incoming Shenzhou 20 astronauts, who will start their six-month-long challenge aboard the distance station.The Shenzhou 19 astronauts will then go away for Earth in their very own spacecraft. The go back is scheduled for April 29, in keeping with airspace closure notices.
View from the air as China’s Lengthy March 2F launches the Shenzhou 20 challenge. (Symbol credit score: China Central Tv (CCTV))Chen Dong has sturdy spaceflight enjoy, having flown at the two-person Shenzhou 11 challenge to the Tiangong 2 area lab—a smaller precursor to Tiangong—in 206. He then led the Shenzhou 14 challenge to Tiangong in 2022, which oversaw the coming of the 2 experiment modules to finish the three-module area station.”On one hand, I think immense satisfaction and honor to as soon as once more embark on an area adventure for my nation. This can be a nice privilege and pleasure,” Chen mentioned all over an April 23 press convention. “Alternatively, I’ve larger expectancies. Each and every spaceflight is exclusive, and I look ahead to gaining extra enjoy and making new breakthroughs all over this challenge.”Breaking area information, the most recent updates on rocket launches, skywatching occasions and extra!
Astronauts for China’s Shenzhou-20 area challenge (L-R) Wang Jie, Chen Dong and Chen Zhongrui wave all over a press convention an afternoon prior to the release of the challenge, on the Jiuquan Satellite tv for pc Release Centre within the Gobi desolate tract, in northwest China on April 23, 2025. (Symbol credit score: VCG/VCG by means of Getty Pictures)Chen Zhongrui used to be previously a pilot within the Folks’s Liberation Military Air Power (additionally known as the Chinese language Air Power) whilst Wang used to be an aerospace engineer with China’s major area contractor, CASC.To change into a certified astronaut, Chen mentioned he underwent intense coaching, masking over 200 topics throughout 8 classes, whilst additionally going through demanding situations equivalent to centrifuge coaching and spin-chair workouts. He used to be impressed via a seek advice from to his College via Yang Liwei, China’s first astronaut in area. “On the time, I by no means dared to consider that years later, I’d change into an astronaut myself,” he mentioned.Wang mentioned that he’ll, as a spaceflight engineer, be aiding the opposite two astronauts and can basically be accountable for fabrics control as a part of the challenge’s science targets.”We’re in a position, and we’re taking a look ahead to going to area,” Wang mentioned. “This time, the accountability has been put on our shoulders. I feel this is a sense of accountability. We are hoping to do our task neatly, set up the distance station successfully, and effectively entire our experimental tasks all over the six months in area.”China will release the Tianzhou 9 shipment resupply challenge to Tiangong all over the Shenzhou 20 astronauts’ time aboard the distance station, handing over recent provides, propellant for keeping up Tiangong’s orbit, and new experiments and fabrics.Shenzhou 20 is the 9th crewed challenge headed for Tiangong — which orbits between 217 and 280 miles (340 to 450 kilometers) above Earth — and would be the 6th seek advice from for the reason that three-module orbital outpost used to be absolutely assembled in October 2022. Shenzhou 20 would be the 5th challenge of what China Manned House Company (CMSA) phrases the appliance and building degree of China’s area station.China plans to stay Tiangong, which is set 20% as large because the Global House Station (ISS), completely inhabited for a minimum of a decade. The rustic additionally needs to make bigger the distance station with new modules and open the outpost to industrial actions.CMSA and Pakistan are recently running in combination in preparation for the primary overseas astronaut to fly to Tiangong.