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October 25th, 2023
Image credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
China has revealed the Shenzhou-17 crew slated for launch to the country Tiangong space station: A trio of former fighter pilots, Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie, and Jiang Xinlin, are set to carry out the mission.
Commander Tang will also be the first astronaut to return to China’s space station. His launch sets a new record for the shortest interval between two spaceflight missions by a Chinese astronaut.
Tang Shengjie and Jiang are first-time space voyagers. They joined China’s third batch of astronauts in September 2020.
Image credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
Six-month voyage
The Shenzhou-17 crewed spaceship is scheduled to launch Thursday at 11:14 (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced on Wednesday.
The Shenzhou-17 mission will be the 12th human spaceflight undertaking of China’s space program. The crew will stay in orbit for about six months and are scheduled to return to the Dongfeng landing site in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in April next year.
Go to these videos introducing the Shenzhou-17 crew at:
Posted in Space News
