China's Shenzhou-19 crew is scheduled to return to the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region from the Tiangong space station on April 29, announced the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) on Wednesday.
Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the CMSA, briefed the press on the handover plan between the Shenzhou-19 and Shenzhou- 20 mission crews at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, ahead of the launch of the Shenzhou-20 spaceship scheduled for Thursday.
""According to the plan, Shenzhou-20 spacecraft will execute the fast autonomous rendezvous and docking procedures after entering the orbit. The spacecraft will dock with the forward port of the Tianhe core module in 6.5 hours to form a three-module and three-ship assembly. During their stay, the Shenzhou-20 crew will welcome the coming and docking of Tianzhou-9 cargo ship and Shenzhou-21 manned spaceship. The crew is planned to return to the Dongfeng landing site in late October," Lin said.
"Now the flight equipment quality of the spaceship and rocket is under control, the astronaut crew is in good condition, and the facilities and equipment of ground systems are performing well. The space station is operating normally in orbit, and all pre-launch preparations are ready. Shenzhou-19 crew plans to return to the Dongfeng landing site on April 29 after the two crews complete the handover procedure in orbit," he said.
China's Shenzhou-20 crewed spaceship is scheduled to be launched at 17:17 Thursday (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the country's northwest, the CMSA announced on Wednesday.
China's Shenzhou-19 crew to return to Earth on April 29 after handover
China's Shenzhou-19 crew to return to Earth on April 29 after handover
