Launch of Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceship
China’s Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceship is to be launched at 04:27am BJT Wednesday (Oct. 30) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.
Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze, the three Chinese astronauts for the upcoming Shenzhou-19 spaceflight mission, met the press on Tuesday (Oct. 29).
The three astronauts will take over command of China’s Tiangong space station from the Shenzhou-18 crew currently in orbit, and will spend about six months in space.
The mission will be commanded by experienced astronaut Cai Xuzhe, who participated in the Shenzhou-14 manned spaceflight mission, while Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze, among the third batch of Chinese astronauts, will carry out a space flight for the first time.
Wang is currently China’s only female space flight engineer and will become the third Chinese woman to embark on a crewed spaceflight mission.
Shenzhou-19 is the 33rd flight mission of China’s manned space program, and the 4th manned mission during the application and development stage of China’s space station.
The Shenzhou-19 spaceship, sitting atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, was previously transferred to the launching area, with pre-launch function checks and joint tests conducted to ensure the spaceship’s readiness.
Meanwhile, the Shenzhou-18 crew aboard China’s orbiting Tiangong space station is preparing for their return mission while wrapping up the remaining experiments. The three astronauts, Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu, were sent into space for a six-month mission in April this year. Their return will take place after completing a handover with the Shenzhou-19 members at the space station.
