The eighth crew of the Chinese Taikonauts, which will carry out the mission at the Tiangun space station (translated – “Heavenly Palace”), went into space.
According to the Chinese Agency of the manned cosmonautics (CMSA), the Shanzhou-20 spacecraft, on board the Taikonauts Chen Dong, Chen Tsunguy and Van Ze, was launched from the cosmodrome of Tszyuskuan, located in the Gobi desert. The ship was launched using the Changzhen-2f launch vehicle (Great Campaign).
The crew will replace the Taikonautov, who arrived at the station on October 30, 2024 on the Shanzhou-19 ship and spent six months in orbit. The commander of the new mission was appointed 46-year-old Chen Dong, who had previously been in space.
In 2016, he spent 33 days in the Tiangun-2 laboratory as part of the flight on the Shanzhou-11 ship, and in 2022 he was at the Tiangun station as part of the Shenzhou-14 mission for six months.
For the Taikonauts Chen Tsunguy and Van Jie, this is the first experience of manned space flight.
It is reported that Chen previously served as a pilot in the Chinese Air Force, and Van worked as an engineer in the Chinese aerospace corporation.
Space station of China “Tiangun”
Due to the ban on the United States to cooperate in the field of space research and refusal to participate in the program of the International Space Station (ISS), China built its own space station in the orbit of the Earth.
Tiangun station consists of a central module and two laboratory, and in the future it is planned to add a space telescope to it. It was designed on the model of the now -non -functioning Russian station “Mir”.
The central module of the station called “Tianhe” (“Heavenly Harmony”) was launched on April 29, 2021. The first laboratory module “Wennyan” (“Search of Heaven”) was sent on July 24, 2022, the second -“Manchean” (“Dreams of Heaven”) on October 31, 2022.
Three TIKONAUTS operates at the station at the same time, replacing the rotation. The crews are delivered by spacecraft of the Shanzhou series (“Holy Ship”), and the supply is carried out using Tianzhou freight ships (“Heavenly Ship”).