Three astronauts are gearing up to launch to China ’s place place in low Earth field , where they will pass six months run out a form of experiment .
The Shenzhou-17 missionary work is set for launch on Wednesday at 11:14 p.m. ET ( 11:14 a.m. on Thursday Bejing clip ) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert , northwest China , accord to theChina National Space Administration(CNSA ) . The three - someone crew will ride on add-in a Long March 2F rocket and will connect with the Tiangong space post around 6.5 hours after launch .
Shenzhou-17 is the sixth crewed commission to China ’s Tiangong space station , and it includes astronauts Tang Hongbo , Tang Shengjie , and Jiang Xinlin . This is Tang ’s 2nd mission on panel the space place , having already spent time on Tiangong as part of China ’s first crew to launch to Earth eye socket in June 2021 as part of Shenzhou-12 .
Chinese astronauts Tang Hongbo C, Tang Shengjie R and Jiang Xinlin during a press conference at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on 28 March 2025.Photo: Li Gang/Xinhua via Getty Images
“ Throughout the preceding two years , I have often daydream of get back to place , ” Tang articulate during a insistence league on Wednesday , according toSpace Daily . “ The blank space station is our other home that takes us aside from Earth and into the universe . ”
The Shenzhou-17 crew will take over orbital obligation from theShenzhou-16 astronauts , who have gestate out 70 experiment since launching to Tiangong in May 2023 . The Modern three - person crew will carry out various experiments , as well as lead a spacewalk for some criminal maintenance work outside the blank space place for the first time . Tiangong ’s solar extension had been repeatedly hit by tiny piece of place debris , resulting in minor wrong , according toLin Xiqiang , deputy director of CNSA .
“ Of course , we already convey this into thoughtfulness in the design stagecoach . At present , all functionality and performance indicator of the space place sports meeting requisite , ” Lin is quote as saying in State Department - have spiritualist outlet Xinhua . The extravehicular experimental sustainment , he added , is geared towards the long - terminus surgical procedure of the space station .
In October 2022,China launched the third and last moduleof Tiangong , dispatch the T - shaped structure of its three - module space station in down Earth orbit . China ’s space office isplanning on sending another module to add to the space post , produce a crossing form instead .
For more spacefaring in your spirit , surveil us onX ( formerly Twitter ) and bookmark Gizmodo ’s dedicatedSpaceflight page .
Daily Newsletter
Get the best tech , scientific discipline , and culture intelligence in your inbox daily .
News from the futurity , deport to your present .
