World

3 Chinese Astronauts To Spend 6-Month On Space Station

China deployed three astronauts to its permanently manned space station on Thursday for a six-month stay, as part of a regular rotation of Chinese astronauts onboard the ‘Tiangong’ orbiting high above the Earth’s atmosphere.

The spacecraft Shenzhou-18, also known as the Divine Vessel, and its three passengers launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China at 8:58 p.m. (1258 GMT) on a Long March-2F rocket.

Ye Guangfu, 43, led the six-month expedition. He had previously visited ‘Tiangong’, or ‘Heavenly Palace’ in Chinese, in October 2021 as part of China’s second crewed mission to the station.

This time, he was accomplished by Li Cong, 34, and Li Guangsu, 36, all of whom traveled in space for the first time and were part of China’s spaceflight programme.

All three individuals were former Air Force pilots.

Tiangong, which completed in late 2022, can house up to three astronauts for months at an orbital altitude of up to 450 kilometres (280 miles). It is designed to operate for at least 15 years.

Since 2021, when construction of the outpost began, China has launched two crewed missions to Tiangong per year, the seventh of which is the Shenzhou-18.

Each crew lasted for around six months, conducting spacewalks and scientific research in the station’s low-gravity environment.

After decades of being barred from entering the NASA-led International Space Station, Tiangong has become a symbol of China’s faith in its space efforts.

US law prohibits China from engaging in any direct or indirect collaboration with NASA.

Divine Vessel, also known as Shenzhou-18 marks China’s 13th crewed mission to space since Yang Liwei’s solo voyage in October 2003. Yang Liwei was the first Chinese to reach space.

Also read: Pentagon: US Military Starts Building Gaza Pier To Aid Delivery

Spriha Rai

Recent Posts

PM Modi Meets Bhutan PM Tobgay At BIMSTEC Summit; Highlights Strong Bilateral Ties & Regional Cooperation

PM Narendra Modi met Bhutanese PM Tshering Tobgay on the sidelines of the 6th BIMSTEC…

4 hours ago

Jamia Students Back Waqf Amendment Bill; Call It A Step Toward Empowerment

The student group 'Shaher-E-Arzoo' expressed firm support for the Waqf Amendment Bill, calling it a…

6 hours ago

India’s Exports To The US Face Limited Impact From Tariff Hike: SBI Report

The 27% tariff hike by US President Donald Trump on Indian goods will have only…

6 hours ago

Waqf Freed From Mafia Control, New Era Of Development Begins For Muslims: MRM

Following the passage of the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024 in both Houses of Parliament, celebrations…

7 hours ago

India’s Forex Reserves Surge To $665.4 Billion; Rupee Strengthens As Trade Deficit Narrows

India’s forex reserves jumped $6.6 billion to a five-month high of $665.4 billion for the…

8 hours ago

Laxmi Singh Leads Gautam Buddha Nagar Police To Historic No 1 Rank In IGRS Across All Stations

Gautam Buddha Nagar Police, led by CP Laxmi Singh, achieved a historic feat with all…

9 hours ago