The China Manned Space Agency has announced that the launch of the crewed spacecraft Shenzhou-19 is scheduled for 4:27 a.m. on Wednesday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the northwest of the country. A Long March-2F rocket will be used for this launch, which will soon be filled with propellant, according to the agency's deputy director, Lin Xiqiang.
Shenzhou-19 is the 33rd flight mission of the Chinese manned space program and the fourth crewed mission during the application and development phase of the country's space station. Once in orbit, the spacecraft will dock with the forward port of the central Tianhe module of the station in about 6.5 hours, forming a combination of three modules and three spacecraft, explained Lin Xiqiang.
"The three members of the mission are in good condition, as are the ground system facilities and equipment," said Lin. He also detailed that both the Shenzhou-19 spacecraft and the Long March-2F carrier rocket are under control. All preparations for the launch have been completed and the combination of the space station remains in a normal state.
The crew of the Shenzhou-18 mission, currently in orbit, plans to return to the Dongfeng landing site on November 4, after completing the task handover to the astronauts of Shenzhou-19. Regarding the cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-8 mission, scheduled for the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in the southern province of Hainan, it was reported that due to super typhoon Yagi, the launch has been rescheduled for mid-November.
It was mentioned that preparations for Tianzhou-8 continue without issues and according to the new established plan. In terms of supplies in orbit, it was confirmed that the planning of the space station missions has taken similar situations into account and that there is currently a ample supply of materials in orbit.
