China unveils Shenzhou-20 crew for space station mission

Chinese astronauts Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie will carry out the Shenzhou-20 crewed spaceflight mission, and Chen Dong will be the commander, the China Manned Space Agency announced at a press conference on Wednesday.

The Shenzhou-20 crewed spaceship is scheduled to be launched at 5:17pm Thursday (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, said Lin Xiqiang, spokesperson for the agency.

Chen Dong participated in the Shenzhou-11 and Shenzhou-14 space missions. He served as the commander of the Shenzhou-14 crew and will take on the mantle once again after a two-year interval. He will also become the first among China's second batch of astronauts to carry out three spaceflight missions.

Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie both come from the third batch of astronauts and will embark on their first spaceflight mission. Before being selected, Chen Zhongrui was an air force pilot, while Wang Jie was an engineer at the China Academy of Space Technology under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

Chen Dong described his crew as embodying a synergy of precision and rigor. Speaking to the press on Wednesday, he said the pilot brings sharp thinking and precise operational skills, while the engineer contributes a meticulous attitude and a solid theoretical foundation.

"I have full confidence in our team, and it is capable and resourceful. We collaborate effectively, with each member fulfilling their role and handling responsibilities independently," he added.

Chen Zhongrui is described by his crewmates as calm, composed and quick-witted. As a former pilot, he possesses excellent operational skills.

Chen Zhongrui told the press that at the beginning of the joint training, he and Wang Jie felt a bit nervous. After all, Chen Dong had already completed two spaceflight missions, while they were still newcomers. "Now, we work together so seamlessly, it feels like we're one person," he said.

"As a spaceflight engineer, I am primarily tasked with platform maintenance, equipment maintenance and repair, emergency malfunction handling, as well as space science experiments such as those on microgravity countermeasure technologies and human-machine collaboration systems," Wang Jie said.

His teammates said Wang is a typical engineer, someone with a broad knowledge base and an exceptional ability to maintain focus for long periods.

The new crew will undertake a range of tasks, including space science experiments, application tests, extravehicular activities, and cargo handling. Their mission also involves installing protective devices against space debris, deploying and retrieving extravehicular payloads and equipment. They will also participate in science education, public outreach, and other onboard experimental activities.

The new life science experiments to be carried out by the trio will involve zebra fish, planarians and streptomyces.

Notably, the Shenzhou-20 mission marks China's first space-based investigation into the regeneration of planarians, a new organism introduced to the space station and known for their extraordinary ability to regrow organs, Lin said.

He added that the Shenzhou-20 mission will further zebra fish experiment based on the zebra fish-hornwort co-cultivation ecosystem established during the Shenzhou-18 mission, and seeks to clarify how protein homeostasis regulates bone mass decrease and cardiovascular dysfunction caused by microgravity.

As for streptomyces, which can serve as critical players in soil health and plant resilience, the related experiment will study the expression patterns of microbial active substances and enzymes in space environments to lay the foundation for developing microbial technologies and products utilizing space resources, he added.

In addition to the three biological experiments, the crew will also conduct 59 space science experiments and technology tests, covering fields such as space life science, microgravity physical science, and new space technologies. Breakthroughs are expected in areas like the cultivation of vascularized brain organoid chips, and the study of preparing high-temperature superconducting material in space.

The Shenzhou-20 astronauts will complete in-orbit rotation with the Shenzhou-19 crew and stay at the space station for approximately six months, according to Lin.

The Shenzhou-19 astronauts are scheduled to return to the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on April 29, Lin said.