China successfully launches three new astronauts to its space station

China has successfully launched three astronauts to its space station on Thursday to replace their colleagues manning the station for the past six monthsThe Shenzhou20 crewed spaceship carrying the astronauts blasted off at 517 pm Beijing Time from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest ChinaMinutes after the launch an official in the mission control centre announced that the launch was a complete success The launch was telecast live by the staterun CGTNThe spaceship is carrying three astronauts Chen Dong Chen Zhongrui and Wang JieIt will dock with the space station later tonightShenzhou20 is the 35th flight mission of Chinas manned space programme and the fifth crewed mission during the application and development stage of Chinas space stationThe crew is scheduled to return to the Dongfeng landing site in northern China in late October this yearChina rotates a threemember crew manning the space station named Tiangong every six monthsAfter the new set of crew members enter the station the other three are expected to return to Earth on April 29The crew will conduct new life science experiments involving zebrafish planarians and streptomyces the China Manned Space Agency CMSA spokesman Lin Xiqiang told the media on WednesdayThese experiments will mark Chinas first spacebased investigation into the regeneration of planarians a new organism introduced to Chinas space station and known for their extraordinary ability to regrow organs Lin saidThis project will enhance our understanding of fundamental mechanisms of regeneration at the individual level and could provide insights into human health issues related to spaceinduced injuries Lin saidThe CMSA also said on Wednesday that two Pakistani astronauts will be selected to receive spaceflight training in China to take part in a joint mission to the countrys space stationOne of the two Pakistanis will participate as a payload specialist staterun Xinhua quoted a CMSA spokesperson as sayingChina built its space station after it was reportedly excluded from the International Space Station ISS over concerns that Chinas space programme is manned by its military the Peoples Liberation Army PLAIt is currently the only country to have a space station while the ISS is a collaborative project of several countriesObservers say Chinas space station may become the only one of its kind in orbit once the ISS retires in the coming yearsThe two robotic arms of the station especially the long one which can grab objects including satellites from space drew international concernsThe launch day coincided with Chinas 10th Space Day China had designated April 24 as its Space Day in 2016 to mark the successful launch of its first satellite Dongfanghong1 on April 24 1970Separately the China National Space Administration CNSA announced on Thursday that scientists from institutions in France Germany Japan Pakistan the UK and the US have been granted the opportunity to borrow lunar samples collected by the Change5 mission for scientific researchAt a ceremony for Chinas Space Day in Shanghai the agency announced that seven institutions from six countries have been authorised to borrow the lunar samples staterun Xinhua news agency reportedIn 2020 Chinas Change5 mission retrieved samples from the moon weighing about 1731 gramsShan Zhongde head of the CNSA said Chinas lunar exploration programme has always adhered to the principles of equality mutual benefits peaceful utilisation and winwin cooperation sharing achievements with the international communityBy the end of December 2023 CNSA had received 24 applications from 11 countries and international organisations the report saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoeveratOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params