China set to launch Shenzhou-22 spaceship

ISTANBUL

China is set to launch the Shenzhou-22 spaceship on Tuesday, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said on Monday, according to state media.

The spaceship will be launched from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China, Xinhua News reported.

It comes after the Shenzhou-21 spaceship brought home three Chinese astronauts last week, nine days behind schedule after their spacecraft was hit by suspected space debris.

On Nov. 5, the CMSA said that the crew’s journey home had been delayed following a likely impact on Shenzhou-20 from tiny orbital debris and that it "does not meet the requirements for the astronauts' safe return” and would instead remain in orbit.

The Shenzhou-21, China's sixth crewed flight mission with three astronauts, locally known as taikonauts, including its youngest-ever astronaut, plus four mice, was launched into space last month.

The mice returned with the crew of the Shenzhou-20 spaceship last week, and the Shenzhou-22 spaceship will dock with China's indigenous Tiangong space station soon after its launch on Nov. 25.

ISTANBUL

China is set to launch the Shenzhou-22 spaceship on Tuesday, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said on Monday, according to state media.

The spaceship will be launched from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China, Xinhua News reported.

It comes after the Shenzhou-21 spaceship brought home three Chinese astronauts last week, nine days behind schedule after their spacecraft was hit by suspected space debris.

The Shenzhou-21, China's sixth crewed flight mission with three astronauts, locally known as taikonauts, including its youngest-ever astronaut, plus four mice, was launched into space last month.

The mice returned with the crew of the Shenzhou-20 spaceship last week, and the Shenzhou-22 spaceship will dock with China's indigenous Tiangong space station soon after its launch on Nov. 25.