China on Thursday launched the Shenzhou-18 manned spaceship that will send three astronauts to the orbiting Tiangong space station for a six-month mission.
The spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, blasted off at around 21:00 (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.
About 10 minutes after the launch, the Shenzhou-18 spaceship separated from the rocket and entered its designated orbit. The crew members are in good shape and the launch is a "complete success," the CMSA announced.
While in orbit, the Shenzhou-18 spaceship is scheduled to make a fast, automated rendezvous and docking with the space station combination.
The Shenzhou-18 crew members are Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu, with Ye as the mission commander.
They will take over command of the Tiangong space station after completing an in-orbit handover with their colleagues of the Shenzhou-17 mission, who are scheduled to return to the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on April 30.
During their six-month stay in space, the astronauts will carry out more than 90 experiments, two to three extravehicular activities (EVAs), and implement six cargo outbound deliveries via the station's cargo airlock module.
The trio will witness the arrival of the Tianzhou-8 cargo craft and later welcome the Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceship to the space station.
China successfully sends Shenzhou-18 manned spaceship into designated orbit
China successfully sends Shenzhou-18 manned spaceship into designated orbit
The United States has turned to several European countries for egg imports amid a severe supply shortage and soaring prices at home, according to media reports.
The head of the Danish Egg Association confirmed that the United States has sent a written request for eggs, and they are currently assessing their export potential for the next six months, according to reports.
In addition to Denmark, the United States has also sent requests to Sweden and Finland.
Sweden's largest egg producer, Kronagg, revealed that Europe is also grappling with an egg shortage and will prioritize supplying the European market, said the reports.
Similarly, the Finnish Poultry Association indicated that the number of eggs Finland can export is insufficient to address the egg shortage in the United States.
The reports also noted that Norway's Ministry of Agriculture and Food confirmed receiving a request from the U.S. government in early March. However, most of the country's egg producers have decided not to export eggs to the United States.
Meanwhile, the French egg industry organization reported that the ongoing avian influenza outbreak in the EU has exacerbated the egg shortage in France.
Elsewhere in the world, Poultry trade associations from smaller egg-exporting countries such as Indonesia have also reported receiving such requests from the United States.
The Egg Producers Central Union in Turkey said in February that the country would plan to export 420 million eggs to the United States this year.
U.S. egg prices have continued to surge due to a shortage of egg-laying hens amid an outbreak of avian influenza, also known as bird flu, adding continued pressure to inflation.
Egg prices have shot up 10.4 percent month over month and 58.8 percent year over year in the country, according to a March 12 report released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
US turns to Europe for help amid egg crisis
