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World / Asia

China to launch Shenzhou-20 manned spaceship on Thursday

Published: 23 Apr 2025 - 10:41 pm | Last Updated: 23 Apr 2025 - 10:45 pm
A poster of China's President Xi Jinping is seen beside a slogan referencing China's space ambitions at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi desert in northwest China on April 23, 2025, a day before the launch of the Shenzhou-20 mission. (Photo by Pedro Pardo / AFP)

A poster of China's President Xi Jinping is seen beside a slogan referencing China's space ambitions at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi desert in northwest China on April 23, 2025, a day before the launch of the Shenzhou-20 mission. (Photo by Pedro Pardo / AFP)

QNA

Beijing: The Shenzhou-20 crewed spaceship is scheduled to be launched tomorrow, Thursday, from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, the China Manned space Agency (CMSA) said on Wednesday.

The spaceship will carry three astronauts, Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie. The launch day coincides with China's 10th space Day, Xinhua News Agency reported.

China designated April 24 as its space Day in 2016 to mark the successful launch of its first satellite, Dongfanghong-1, on April 24, 1970.

The Long March-2F carrier rocket, carrying the Shenzhou-20 spaceship, is seen encased in blue scaffolding on the launch pad a day before the launch of the Shenzhou-20 mission, at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi desert in northwest China on April 23, 2025. (Photo by Pedro Pardo / AFP)

CMSA spokesman Lin Xiqiang stated at a press conference that Thursday's launch will use a Long March-2F carrier rocket, which will be filled with propellant soon.

Shenzhou-20 is the 35th flight mission of China's manned space program, and the fifth crewed mission during the application and development stage of China's space station.

The trio is scheduled to return to the Dongfeng landing site in north China in late October this year.