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China reveals Shenzhou-18 crew for next space station mission
- The team will be led by Shenzhou-13 veteran Ye Guangfu, who will be joined by Li Cong and Li Guangsu, both embarking on their first flight mission
- During their stay on the Tiangong space station, the astronauts will carry out experiments on fish in a step towards raising other animals in space
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China has revealed the names of the three astronauts who will travel to the country’s space station as part of its 13th crewed mission on Thursday.
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The Shenzhou-18 mission will launch from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwestern China. During the mission, the crew will carry out experiments on fish as an initial step towards raising other vertebrates in space.
Commander Ye Guangfu, who was part of the 2021 Shenzhou-13 mission, will lead his teammates Li Cong and Li Guangsu, both embarking on their first flight mission.
They will be received by the Shenzhou-17 trio, who will return to Earth on April 30 after six months in space. The Shenzhou-18 crew will stay in the Tiangong space station until late October.
The Tianzhou-8 cargo ship and the Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceship are scheduled to arrive during their six-month mission.
Deputy director of the China Manned Space Agency Lin Xiqiang said the crew would begin China’s first in-orbit aquatic ecology project.
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