Three Chinese astronauts, Commander Chen Dong and crewmates Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie, have arrived at the Tiangong space station aboard the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft. The trio docked with the radial port of the Tianhe core module on April 24 and will soon take over control of the space station from the incumbent Shenzhou-19 crew.
This marks China’s sixth three-person mission to arrive at Tiangong, following a series of successful missions since the completion of the three-module outpost in late 2022. The six-month-long Shenzhou-20 mission will include extravehicular activities, science and application experiments, outreach activities, and more.
The crew will conduct life sciences experiments using zebrafish, planarians, and Streptomyces bacteria to study their behavior in space. These experiments aim to support microbial tech development by analyzing useful enzyme and substance expression.
China is also making progress on its crewed lunar mission, with a planned landing before 2030. The country has completed early-stage testing for its crewed lunar mission, including electrical checks, high-altitude drop tests, and thermal testing of the Lanyue lander.
Additionally, China is working towards international cooperation in low Earth orbit, with plans to select an astronaut from Pakistan to fly to Tiangong as a payload expert. The country is also negotiating with other countries on the participation of their astronauts in Chinese space station flights.
China’s 21st orbital launch of 2025 marks a significant milestone in its space program, following the successful launches of six Shiyan-27 classified experimental satellites via a Long March 6A rocket from Taiyuan.
Source: https://spacenews.com/shenzhou-20-crewed-spacecraft-arrives-at-tiangong-space-station