China's next manned space mission to begin soon

A photo taken on May 22, 2023 shows China's Shenzhou XVI manned spacecraft and a Long March 2F Y16 rocket being transferred to the launch area at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China's Gobi Desert. [Photo by Wang Jiangbo/For chinadaily.com.cn]

China's next manned space mission, the Shenzhou XVI, is scheduled to be launched in the coming days to transport three astronauts to the Tiangong space station, according to plans made by the China Manned Space Agency.

The Shenzhou XVI spacecraft and its carrier, a Long March 2F rocket, were moved to the service tower on Monday at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China's Gobi Desert, the agency said in a brief news release, adding that the spacecraft and the rocket will undergo final checks in the next several days.

The Shenzhou XVI will become the first crewed mission to visit Tiangong this year and the first to arrive since its construction was completed by the Shenzhou XIV and XV crews.

A photo taken on May 22, 2023 shows China's Shenzhou XVI manned spacecraft and a Long March 2F Y16 rocket being transferred to the launch area at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China's Gobi Desert. [Photo by Wang Jiangbo/For chinadaily.com.cn]

The crew members, whose names have yet to be disclosed, will take over the massive orbital outpost from the Shenzhou XV team, which consists of mission commander Major General Fei Junlong, Senior Colonel Deng Qingming and Senior Colonel Zhang Lu, who arrived on Nov 30. By the end of May, Fei's team will have stayed in orbit for six months.

Earlier this month, the Tianzhou 6 robotic cargo spaceship set out from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province to transport materials for the next manned missions, becoming the first spacecraft to visit the Tiangong space station this year.

Orbiting about 400 kilometers above the ground, the Tiangong space station currently consists of three major components, the Tianhe core module and Wentian and Mengtian science lab modules, and is connected to two visiting craft, the Shenzhou XV crew ship and the Tianzhou 6 cargo ship.

A photo taken on May 22, 2023 shows China's Shenzhou XVI manned spacecraft and a Long March 2F Y16 rocket being transferred to the launch area at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China's Gobi Desert. [Photo by Wang Jiangbo/For chinadaily.com.cn]

A photo taken on May 22, 2023 shows China's Shenzhou XVI manned spacecraft and a Long March 2F Y16 rocket being transferred to the launch area at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China's Gobi Desert. [Photo by Wang Jiangbo/For chinadaily.com.cn]

A photo taken on May 22, 2023 shows China's Shenzhou XVI manned spacecraft and a Long March 2F Y16 rocket being transferred to the launch area at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China's Gobi Desert. [Photo by Wang Jiangbo/For chinadaily.com.cn]