This will be the longest Chinese manned space mission ever, and will set a record for the most time spent by Chinese astronauts in space, the Associated Press reported Thursday.
The Shenzhou-13 spacecraft is expected to be launched into space aboard a Long March-2F rocket early Saturday morning from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on the outskirts of the Gobi Desert in northwest China.
Last September, he returned to Earth, the first crew of the Chinese Space Agency for 90 days.
The new crew includes two veterans of space travel, pilot Zhai Zhigang, 55, who completed the first spacewalk for China.
Wang Yaping, 41, the only woman on the mission, conducted several experiments in space and led a real-time science class while traveling aboard one of China’s former experimental space stations.
Yi Guangfu, 41, will travel into space for the first time.
The mission is expected to continue the work of the initial crew, who conducted two spacewalks, installed a 10-meter (33-foot) mechanical arm, and made a video call with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
The missile has been refueled and ready to fly, said Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the China Manned Space Agency.
He continued in a press conference: “All systems performing the “Shenzhou-13″ mission have undergone a comprehensive rehearsal. The mission crew is in good condition and our preparations before launching are in place.”
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