China launches Shenzhou-20 mission to space station: Reports
China launched three astronauts to its space station on Thursday in its 15th crewed spaceflight and the 20th mission overall in the Shenzhou program, which began more than three decades ago.
The Shenzhou-20 spacecraft lifted off atop a Long March-2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China at 5:17 p.m. (0917 GMT), state broadcaster CCTV reported.
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Arab News
30-04-2025
- Arab News
China's Shenzhou-19 astronauts return to Earth
BEIJING: Three Chinese astronauts returned to Earth on Wednesday after six months on the country's space station, state media footage showed, as Beijing advances toward its aim to become a major celestial has plowed billions of dollars into its space program in recent years in an effort to achieve what President Xi Jinping describes as the country's 'space dream.'The world's second-largest economy has bold plans to send a crewed mission to the Moon by the end of the decade and eventually build a base on the lunar latest launch last week ferried a trio of astronauts to the Tiangong space station, heralding the start of the Shenzhou-20 have taken over from Shenzhou-19 crew Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze, whose landing capsule touched down in the northern Inner Mongolia region on state news agency said the group were in 'good health' shortly after touching back down on from state broadcaster CCTV showed the capsule, attached to a red-and-white striped parachute, descending through an azure sky before hitting the ground in a cloud of brown desert of officials in white and orange jumpsuits then rushed to open the golden craft, and one planted a fluttering national flag into the sandy soil Shenzhou-19 crew had worked on the space station since October, where they carried out experiments and set a new record for the longest ever were initially scheduled to return on Tuesday, but the mission was postponed due to bad weather at the landing site, according to Chinese 35, was China's only woman spaceflight engineer at the time of the launch, according to the Chinese Manned Space Agency (CMSA).Commander Cai, a 48-year-old former air force pilot, previously served aboard Tiangong as part of the Shenzhou-14 mission in a 34-year-old onetime air force pilot, completed the group of spacefarers popularly dubbed 'taikonauts' in week, China saw off the Shenzhou-20 team in a feast of pomp and pageantry at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Base in the barren desert of northwestern Gansu province.A military band and crowds of flag-waving well-wishers bade farewell to the crew before they blasted off on a Long March-2F media reported that they assumed control of the space station after a handover ceremony with its former occupants on all-male Shenzhou-20 crew is headed by Chen Dong, 46, a former fighter pilot and veteran space explorer who in 2022 became the first Chinese astronaut to clock up more than 200 cumulative days in other two crew members — 40-year-old former air force pilot Chen Zhongrui, and 35-year-old former space technology engineer Wang Jie — are on their first space their six-month stint, the crew will carry out experiments in physics and life sciences and install protective equipment against space the first time, they will also bring aboard planarians, aquatic flatworms known for their regenerative space program is the third to put humans in orbit and has also landed robotic rovers on Mars and the Moon as it catches up with the two most established cosmic powers, the United States and — whose name means 'celestial palace' in Chinese — is its tour de has never been involved in the International Space Station due to opposition from the United plans to return to the Moon in 2027, though the election of President Donald Trump brought uncertainty over the mission's
Al Arabiya
30-04-2025
- Al Arabiya
China's Shenzhou-19 astronauts return to Earth: State media
Three Chinese astronauts returned to Earth on Wednesday after six months on the country's space station, state media footage showed, as Beijing advances toward its aim to become a major celestial power. Beijing has plowed billions of dollars into its space program in recent years, aiming to fly a crewed mission to the Moon by 2030 and eventually build a base on the lunar surface. Its latest launch last week ferried a trio of astronauts to the Tiangong space station, heralding the start of the Shenzhou-20 mission. They have taken over from Shenzhou-19 crew Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze, whose landing capsule touched down in the northern Inner Mongolia region on Wednesday. Pictures from state broadcaster CCTV showed the capsule, attached to a red-and-white striped parachute, descending through an azure sky before touching down in a cloud of brown desert dust. Its occupants had worked on the space station since October, where they carried out experiments and set a new record for the longest-ever spacewalk. The crew were initially scheduled to return on Tuesday, but the mission was postponed due to bad weather at the landing site, according to Chinese authorities. Wang, 35, was China's only woman spaceflight engineer at the time of the launch, according to the Chinese Manned Space Agency (CMSA). Commander Cai, a 48-year-old former air force pilot, previously served aboard Tiangong as part of the Shenzhou-14 mission in 2022. Song, a 34-year-old onetime air force pilot, completed the group of spacefarers popularly dubbed 'taikonauts' in China.
Asharq Al-Awsat
24-04-2025
- Asharq Al-Awsat
China Launches Shenzhou-20 Mission to Chinese Space Station
China sent three astronauts to its permanently inhabited space station on Thursday, in its 15th crewed spaceflight and the 20th overall in the Shenzhou program that started over three decades ago. The spacecraft Shenzhou-20 and the crew lifted off atop a Long March-2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 5:17 p.m. (0917 GMT), according to state broadcaster CCTV. According to Reuters, state news agency Xinhua reported soon afterwards that the launch was successful. The launch comes as China's advances in lunar and space exploration are drawing in more countries. Pakistan is carrying out a preliminary selection of astronauts, one of whom will eventually be sent to space on a future Shenzhou spaceflight and become the first foreign astronaut to enter China's Tiangong space station.
