The combination of the Shenzhou-15 crewed spaceship and a Long March-2F carrier rocket is transferred to the launching area in Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, Nov. 21, 2022. (Photo by Wang Jiangbo/Xinhua)

The Shenzhou-15 manned space mission, the last flight bound for China Space Station this year and the final task during the construction stage of the station, is set to be launched on Tuesday at 11:08 pm, sending three taikonauts - Fei Junlong, Deng Qingming, and Zhang Lu to the station, according to China Manned Space Agency on Monday.

Fei Junlong, 57, is the mission commander of the Shenzhou-15 mission. He was part of the Shenzhou-6 flight in October 2005 and was awarded the title "Hero Astronaut".

Deng Qingming, 56, is among the first group of taikonauts trained in China. He has served as a backup for 24 years but never got the chance to fly. This will be his first time ever in space. 

Zhang Lu, 46, also a new face, was selected in the second group of taikonauts trained in China in 2010. 

At a press briefing on Monday at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, a spokesperson for the China Manned Space Agency Ji Qiming said that Shenzhou-15 is the final task during the construction phase of China Space Station, as well as the opening of the application phase of the station. 

They will stay in space for six months. The main objectives of the mission include verifying the space station's ability to support crew rotation and achieving the first in-orbit crew shift with the Shenzhou-14 members. 

According to the mission plan, the Shenzhou-15 spacecraft will conduct a fast, autonomous rendezvous and docking maneuver with the assembly in its front port and thus forming a combo of three space ships and three modules. It will be the largest structure engaged by the space station with a total weight of nearly 100 tons. 

Major works across the Shenzhou-15 are categorized into six aspects, including the verification of long-term stays in the space combo, the unlocking, installation and testing of 15 science experiment cabinets and carrying out more than 40 experiments in the fields of space science research and applications, space medicine, space technology, among others. 

They will conduct three to four extravehicular activities during the mission to complete extension pump set and platform equipment onboard the Mengtian lab module. 

The Shenzhou-15 crew will also verify the exiting of cargo airlock cabin and complete six cargo exiting tasks in cooperation with the ground.

Ji explained at the press briefing that the third group of 18 taikonauts were selected in October 2020, including seven space pilots, seven engineers and four payload specialists. 

After more than two years of hard training, all basic and professional training courses  have been complete. At present, some of the third group of taikonauts have begun the training for follow-up missions and in the near future, they will join the space station mission flight crew one after another, and gradually become the main crew for future tasks.

The fourth group of China's preparatory taikonaut selection was launched in September 2022. The plan is to select 12 to 14 candidates, and will select payload experts from China's Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions for the first time. The preliminary selection phase is currently underway.

In addressing international cooperation as it related to the space station, the spokesperson said a number of space science application projects China jointly selected with UNOOSA and ESA are being implemented as planned, and the relevant payloads will begin to enter the Chinese space station next year.

"We have always welcomed astronauts from other countries to enter the China Space Station to conduct experiments. We have received requests from several countries to send astronauts to participate in our space station missions, and we are coordinating with relevant parties and actively preparing for the training of foreign astronauts," Ji said.



Global Times