China to send 3 Shenzhou XVI astronauts to space station today

On May 22 of 2023, China's Shenzhou XVI manned spacecraft and a Long March 2 F Y 16 rocket are being transferred to the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China's Gobi Desert. China will send three Shenzhou XVI astronauts to the space station at 9am on Tuesday at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwestern China, the official said.

The China Manned Space Agency announced on Monday that Jing Haipeng, Zhu Yangzhu and Gui Haichao will carry out the Shenzhou XVI spaceflight mission, and Jing will be the commander.

In addition to spacewalks, they also assist in the docking and departure of visiting spacecraft such as cargo ships and space-based telescopes, conducting scientific experiments and technological demonstrations, and hosting science lectures, according to the official.

This will be the fourth time Jing has ever flew into space, making him the most experienced astronaut in China.

The first spaceflight engineer in Shenzhou XVI and Gui, the science payloads specialist of the mission, are the first astronauts in the country's third-generation astronauts to participate in spaceflight.

A final pre-launch rehearsal at the launch center was completed on Sunday.

Shenzhou XVI is set for launch, the company said today.

The vessel is ready for the launch, along with its carrier rocket, and all systems and preparations at the launch center are ready for the launch, the launch center said.

Various inspections of the spacecraft and pre-launch rehearsals have been conducted since the combination of the spaceship and a Long March 2 F carrier rocket transferred to the launch center, said He Pengju, a senior engineer at the launch center.

The preparations also include sealing facilities on the launch tower to prevent sand and rainwater from entering the rocket, he said. The Gobi Desert is a rocky environment with a launch center located there.

This undated file photo shows Jing Haipeng center Zhu Yangzhu and Gui Haichao. Now, all of the Chinese astronauts on spaceflights are members of the People's Liberation Army. They were the first two generations of astronauts who were selected from experienced Air Force aviators.

China astronauts interact with youths from SCO countries as part of a series of activities at the space station.

The third generation of astronauts has already drawn in civilians from researchers and engineers.

There are 17 men and one woman in this generation in three groups: seven spacecraft pilots, another seven as spaceflight engineers and the last four as science payloads specialists.

Earlier this month, the Tianzhou 6 robotic cargo spaceship set out from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province to transport materials for the next manned missions, becoming the first spacecraft to visit the Tiangong space station this year.

After 12th mission, the Spacewalks become 'routine'.

The Tiangong is anchored at 400 meters above the ground, and it has three major components, the Tianhe core module and Wentian and Mengtian science lab modules, and is connected with two visiting ships, the Shenzhou XV crew ship and the Tianzhou 6 cargo ship.