Veteran Chinese astronaut to lead fresh crew to space station

Astronauts for the upcoming Shenzhou XX spaceflight mission Chen Dong (centre), Chen Zhongrui (right) and Wang Jie meet the press in Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China on April 23, 2025. - China Daily/ANN

JIUQUAN, China: China announced Wednesday (April 23) that a veteran astronaut will lead two crew members on their first flight to the Tiangong space station, the latest milestone in the country's race to send a manned mission to the moon by 2030.

The Shenzhou-20 mission is scheduled to blast off at 5:17pm on Thursday (0917 GMT) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the China Manned Space Agency, announced at a news conference.