4:03 pm - January 7, 2026
China is set to launch a new three-person crew to its space station this evening. The launch will happen at 5:17 p.m. local time from the Jiuquan launch center in northwest China.
The mission is called Shenzhou 20. It will replace the astronauts who have been living in space for almost six months. This mission is another step in China’s plan to send people to the Moon and explore Mars.
Shenzhou 20 mission details
The spacecraft will launch from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. It is located on the edge of the Gobi Desert. The rocket used for this launch is the Long March 2F.
It will take about 6.5 hours for the spacecraft to reach the Tiangong space station.
The new crew
The commander of the mission is Chen Dong. This will be his third trip to space.
The other two crew members are Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie. Both of them are going to space for the first time. Chen Zhongrui is a fighter pilot. Wang Jie is an engineer.
This mission is managed by the China Manned Space Agency.
About the Tiangong space station
The Tiangong space station is fully built by China. It became complete in October 2022. The station has three parts and can hold up to six astronauts at a time.
China built this space station after it was left out of the International Space Station. The United States did not allow China to join the ISS due to security concerns.
The Tiangong has special robotic arms. These arms help astronauts with tasks like repairs and installing new tools.
Some experts have said that these arms could be used for military reasons. However, China says the space station is for science and peaceful use only.
Current astronauts in space
The three astronauts who are now on the space station went up in October last year. They have been in space for 175 days.
They will return to Earth on April 29. There will be a short time when both the old and new crews are on the station together.
While in space, the astronauts do many things. They carry out experiments in medical science and space technology. They also do spacewalks to fix things and add new parts to the station.
China’s space goals
China became the third country to send a human to space in 2003. Since then, it has made many big steps in space science.
China has landed a rover on the far side of the Moon. It has also sent a machine to explore Mars.
Now, China wants to send people to the Moon before 2030. After that, it hopes to explore Mars as well.
These missions are part of China’s plan to become a leader in space exploration.