Space talk: Shenzhou-17 returns as Shenzhou-18 prepares for launch

BEIJING: China’s Shenzhou-17 crew and the ground control technicians have made final preparations for the upcoming space journey of the Shenzhou-18 crew, who are scheduled to be sent to space at 20:59 Thursday (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.

The Shenzhou-17 crew, who have been in space since October 26 last year, have conducted inspection and maintenance of modules of the Tiangong space station, inventoried the supplies on board, and recorded the items that need to be sent back home.

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As they will bring back partial experiment samples collected earlier back to Earth, the Shenzhou-17 crew are packing the items and place them inside the spacecraft.

As the Shenzhou-17 crew will return to Earth on April 30, space experiments are still continuing.

Meanwhile, the flight control team at the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center is closely watching the space station and its surrounding space environment so as to take necessary preemptive measures to avoid potential space collisions.

Earlier this month, the flight control team adjusted the position and setting of the space station combination, and completed the second adjustment on Wednesday morning, making the space station ready for welcoming the Shenzhou-18 spacecraft.

The flight control team has conducted over ten rehearsals for the Shenzhou-18 manned mission, covering routine procedures and emergency response, so as to ensure a safe and smooth space journey for the Shenzhou-18 crew.

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As April 24 marks the Space Day of China, the Shenzhou-17 crew paid tribute to all those who have dedicated themselves to the space industry, and expressed their expectations for the coming of the Shenzhou-18 crew.

“China’s first man-made satellite was launched successfully 54 years ago today, with the music of ‘The East is Red’ played nationwide, sounding the horn of the Chinese people to explore the vast space,” said Tang Hongbo, a member of the Shenzhou-17 crew.

“Over the past 54 years, generations of space professionals have worked hard to realize the thousand-year dream of the Chinese nation,” said Tang Shengjie, a member of the Shenzhou-17 crew.

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“We pay tribute to the older generation of space professionals who created the great cause of ‘two bombs and one satellite.’ We pay tribute to the fighters and climbers of the new era who continue to write brilliant. We pay tribute to all the heroes who have silently contributed to the space industry,” said Jiang Xinlin, a member of the Shenzhou-17 crew.

“We wish a successful launch of the Shenzhou-18 spacecraft, and we are waiting for you at the Tiangong space station, the Shenzhou-18 crew,” the Shenzhou-17 crew said.