Shenzhou-16 crewed spaceship set to launch on Tuesday

(ECNS) -- China's Shenzhou-16 crewed spaceship is scheduled to launch at 9:31 a.m. on Tuesday, China Manned Space Agency announced on Monday.

Chinese astronauts Jing Haipeng, Zhu Yangzhu and Gui Haichao will carry out the Shenzhou-16 spaceflight mission, and Jing will be the commander.

Zhu is a space flight engineer and Gui is a payload specialist. This is China’s first time to send a space flight engineer and a payload specialist to space.

According to Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the agency, during the stay in orbit, the crew of Shenzhou-16 will welcome the visit and docking of Shenzhou-17 manned spacecraft. The Shenzhou-16 is planned to return to the Dongfeng landing site in the Gobi Desert, north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in November this year.

The manned spaceship has completed a final rehearsal at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on Sunday.