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China expected to name woman for next space station crew
- Tentative date of October 3 set for Shenzhou 13 lift-off, launch centre source says
- It will be the last construction mission to the orbiting module this year
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China will launch its next manned space mission two days after National Day, with a woman astronaut among the crew to go into orbit to help build its new space station, sources said.
Two sources familiar with China’s manned space programme said the Shenzhou 13 spacecraft would lift off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China on October 3.
The launch will be less than a month after the Tiangong space station’s first crew returned to Earth.
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“The crew, spaceship and rocket are all in good condition. We are finalising the last few rounds of checks,” a source at the centre said.
01:21
Chinese astronauts return to Earth in re-entry capsule from Tiangong space station
Chinese astronauts return to Earth in re-entry capsule from Tiangong space station
He said the centre was also making some minor adjustments to the mission based on feedback from the Shenzhou 12 crew – Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo – who were undergoing medical checks and quarantine.
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