The press conference for the Shenzhou-20 crewed spaceship mission was held this morning (April 23) at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The spokesperson announced that the mission is set to launch on April 24 at 5:17 p.m. Beijing time.
The Shenzhou-20 crew consists of Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie, with Chen Dong as the mission commander. On the morning of April 23, the crew met with domestic and international media at the "Wentian Pavilion" in Jiuquan.
Once launched, the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft will adopt an autonomous rapid rendezvous and docking procedure, connecting to the radial port of the Tianhe core module approximately 6.5 hours after entering orbit. This will form a "three-ship, three-module" assembly in space. After completing an in-orbit crew rotation with the Shenzhou-19 astronauts, the Shenzhou-19 crew is scheduled to return to the Dongfeng Landing Site on April 29.
During their stay, the Shenzhou-20 crew is expected to host the Tianzhou-9 cargo spacecraft and Shenzhou-21 manned spacecraft. The Shenzhou-20 mission crew plans to return to the Dongfeng Landing Site in late October this year.
Additionally, the spokesperson highlighted significant progress in China's manned lunar exploration program. The development of the Long March 10 rocket and the Mengzhou manned spacecraft is proceeding smoothly, with prototype testing underway. The lunar remote sensing satellite project has been approved, and construction of ground systems is advancing on schedule.
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