Latest news with #ChenZhongrui
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Chinese astronauts add debris shields to Tiangong space station during 8-hour spacewalk (video)
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. A pair of taikonauts have completed their first spacewalk aboard China's Tiangong space station, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). Two Shenzhou-20 crewmembers performed the mission's first extravehicular activity (EVA) on Thursday (May 22). The duo worked outside the Chinese low-Earth orbit laboratory for eight hours, wrapping up at 4:49 a.m. EDT (0849 GMT; 4:49 p.m. local time in Beijing). Chinese astronauts Chen Dong and Chen Zhongrui served as the EVA's assigned spacewalkers, while their crewmate Wang Jie assisted from inside Tiangong with mission operators coordinating on Earth. Dong and Zhongrui exited the space station through the node cabin of the Tianhe module, marking the first time that airlock has been used for an EVA since Tiangong became operational. This was the 19th time taikonauts aboard Tiangong have conducted an EVA; many of these spacewalks have focused on installing debris shields to the station's exterior. With assistance from the station's robotic arm, Dong and Zhongrui successfully positioned a protective sheet on a designated exterior location on Tiangong. The pair also performed routine station maintenance and equipment inspections. RELATED STORIES: — 1,000 days in space! Core module of China's Tiangong space station hits milestone — China launches Shenzhou 20 astronauts to Tiangong space station (video) — Spacewalks: How they work and major milestones The Shenzhou-20 crew arrived at Tiangong on April 24, and are just about one month into their six-month-long mission. The trio replaced China's Shenzhou-19 astronauts, who returned to Earth on April 30. China has at least one more crewed mission planned for 2025. Shenzhou-21 is expected to launch sometime this fall. The Tiangong space station was completed in 2022 and has a continual occupancy planned for at least the next decade. The station presently consists of three main modules, but allows for China to launch more should they wish to expand the orbiting lab.
Gulf Today
25-04-2025
- Science
- Gulf Today
China launches 3 astronauts to replace crew on Chinese space station
China has launched three astronauts into space to replace the crew on the Chinese Tiangong space station, marking a further step in the country's ambitions for a crewed mission to the moon and explore Mars. The Shenzhou 20 spaceship took off as planned atop China's workhorse Long March 2F rocket at 5:17 p.m. local time (0917 GMT). It will reach the Tiangong about 6.5 hours later. The rocket lifted off from the launch center in Jiuquan, on the edge of the Gobi Desert in northwestern China. The spaceship will remain in space before returning the current crew. (L-R) Astronauts Wang Jie, Chen Zhongrui and Chen Dong wave during a departure ceremony at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre. AFP The Tiangong, or "Heavenly Palace,' space station has made China a major contender in space, especially since it was entirely Chinese-built after the country was excluded from the International Space Station over US national security concerns. China's space program is controlled by the People's Liberation Army, the military branch of the ruling Communist Party. The addition of mechanical arms to the three-module station has also raised concerns from some that China could use them to disable satellites or other space vehicles during a crisis. A Long March-2F carrier rocket, carrying the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft and a crew of three astronauts, lifts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi desert, in northwest China on April 24, 2025. (Photo by Pedro Pardo / AFP) Since first launching a man into space in 2003 - becoming only the third country to do so - China's space program has advanced at a steady pace. The space agency has also landed an explorer on Mars and a rover on the less-explored far side of the moon, and aims to put a person on the moon before 2030. The Shenzhou, or "Celestial Vessel,' 20 mission will be commanded by Chen Dong, who is making his third flight. He will be accompanied by fighter pilot Chen Zhongrui and engineer Wang Jie, both making their maiden voyages, according to the China Manned Space Agency. Unlike previous crews, Shenzhou 20 is entirely male. People watch the launch of a Long March-2F carrier rocket, carrying the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft and a crew of three astronauts, from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre. AFP They will replace three astronauts currently on the Chinese space station. Like those before them, they will stay on board for roughly six months. The space ship is due to be launched into space atop China's workhorse Long March 2F rocket at 5:17pm local time (0917 GMT) and reach the Tiangong about 6.5 hours later. The three-person crew was sent in October last year and they have been in space for 175 days. They are due to return on April 29 after a brief overlap with their replacements. The Tiangong, fully assembled in October 2022, can accommodate up to six people at a time. While in space, the astronauts will conduct experiments in medical science and new technologies and perform space walks to carry out maintenance and install new equipment, the Manned Space Agency said. Associated Press
NZ Herald
25-04-2025
- Science
- NZ Herald
Chinese rocket launches three astronauts to Tiangong space station
The Long March-2F rocket lifted into the air in a plume of flame and smoke at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Base in the desert of northwest China, AFP journalists saw, heralding the start of the six-month mission. Leading the newest crew is 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 orbit. The other two crew members – 40-year-old former air force pilot Chen Zhongrui, and 35-year-old former space technology engineer Wang Jie – are embarking on their first space flight. Hundreds of people brandishing bouquets and miniature national flags packed into the streets of the space base hours before the launch to see the astronauts off on Thursday afternoon. A band played a rousing military march as the trio, clad in white spacesuits, waved in front of a red banner proclaiming: 'Learn from our astronauts! Salute our astronauts!' 'We wish you success!' the crowd shouted in unison as the crew members passed. Live images on state television then showed the three astronauts being transported by bus to the launch site, beyond which vast stretches of empty desert could be seen. The crew will work on Tiangong for six months, carrying out experiments in physics and life sciences and installing protective equipment against space debris. For the first time, they will also bring aboard planarians – aquatic flatworms known for their regenerative abilities. The team will also conduct spacewalks, replenish supplies and carry out general maintenance on the space station. Three astronauts now on Tiangong are scheduled to return to Earth on April 29 after completing handover procedures. Busloads of space enthusiasts waited by a barren highway for several hours before Thursday's launch, braving the high desert sun to catch a glimpse of the rocket perched on the horizon. A kiosk by the entrance to the launch base did brisk trade in toy rockets and mission-themed memorabilia. Jewel in the crown During a government tour on Wednesday afternoon, AFP journalists saw the rocket ensconced in a sky-blue launch tower, surrounded by red flags as workers in blue jumpsuits made final checks before the launch. China's space programme is the third to put humans in orbit and has also landed robotic rovers on Mars and the moon as it seeks parity with the world's two most established celestial powers, the United States and Russia. Crewed by rotating teams of three astronauts every six months, Tiangong – whose name means 'celestial palace' in Chinese – is the jewel in its crown. China has been excluded from the International Space Station since 2011, when the US banned Nasa from collaborating with Beijing. It has since sought to bring other countries into its space programme and signed a deal with longtime ally Pakistan in February to bring the first foreign astronaut aboard Tiangong. As part of this process, 'two Pakistani astronauts will be selected to come to China for training', the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) confirmed this week.
Time of India
25-04-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Three Chinese astronauts enter space station for crew rotation
Live Events Three Chinese astronauts aboard a spaceship entered China's space station in the early hours of Friday and met with another astronaut trio, starting a new round of in-orbit crew crew manning the station called Tiangong for the past six months opened the hatch at 1:17 am (Beijing Time) and greeted the new arrivals, according to the China Manned Space Agency CMSA ).The six crew members took group pictures for the sixth space get-together in China's aerospace will live and work together for about five days to complete planned tasks and handover work, the CMSA Shenzhou-19 crew is scheduled to return to the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on April 29, it the spaceship successfully docked with the space station late on Thursday that, the Shenzhou-20 crewed spaceship carrying the three astronauts was successfully launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest spaceship is carrying three astronauts, Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang rotates a three-member crew manning the space station every six is the 35th flight mission of China's manned space programme and the fifth crewed mission during the application and development stage of China's space crew will conduct new life science experiments involving zebrafish, planarians and streptomyces, the CMSA spokesman Lin Xiqiang told the media on built its space station after it was reportedly excluded from the International Space Station (ISS) over concerns that China's space programme is manned by its military, the People's Liberation Army (PLA).It is currently the only country to have a space station while the ISS is a collaborative project of several launch day coincided with China's 10th Space Day. The country designated April 24 as its Space Day in 2016 to mark the successful launch of its first satellite, Dongfanghong-1 on the day in the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced on Thursday that scientists from institutions in France, Germany, Japan, Pakistan, the UK and the US have been granted the opportunity to borrow lunar samples collected by the Chang'e-5 mission for scientific 2020, China's Chang'e-5 mission retrieved samples from the moon weighing about 1,731 grams.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
China's Shenzhou 20 astronauts arrive at Tiangong space station (video)
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. China's latest astronaut crew has reached its orbital destination. The three-person Shenzhou 20 mission arrived at China's Tiangong space station today (April 24) at 11:49 a.m. EDT (1549 GMT), beginning a six-month stay aboard the outpost. Their off-Earth chase was brief: Shenzhou 20 launched atop a Long March 2F rocket from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China today at 5:17 a.m. EDT (0917 GMT; 5:17 p.m. Beijing time). Shenzhou 20 consists of commander Chen Dong, who is on his third spaceflight, and Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie, both of whom are rookies. The trio are joining the three-person Shenzhou 19 crew aboard Tiangong, though the overlap will be brief: Shenzhou 19 is expected to head back down to Earth on April 29. Shenzhou 20 is the ninth astronaut mission to reach Tiangong, a T-shaped outpost that's about 20% as massive as the International Space Station. China finished assembling the three-module Tiangong in October 2022, though the nation's space officials have said that they may add more modules to it in the future. Related stories: — China reveals Shenzhou 20 astronaut crew launching to Tiangong space station — Tiangong astronauts experiment with AI robot and more to kick off busy year for Chinese human spaceflight (video) — China's space station, Tiangong: A complete guide Shenzhou 20's launch and docking came on a big spaceflight anniversary: On April 24, 1990, NASA's iconic Hubble Space Telescope reached orbit aboard the space shuttle Discovery. Hubble famously deployed with a flawed primary mirror, which made its initial images blurry. But spacewalking astronauts fixed that problem in December 1993. Hubble was maintained and upgraded on four additional servicing missions, which launched in February 1997, December 1999, March 2002 and May 2009.
