China has sent three astronauts to its permanently occupied space station in its 15th crewed spaceflight and the 20th overall in the Shenzhou program, which was initiated over three decades ago.
The spacecraft Shenzhou-20 and the crew launched atop a Long March-2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China on Thursday, April 24, at 5:17p.m (0917 GMT), as reported by state broadcaster CCTV.
The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced that two Pakistani astronauts will get spaceflight training in China to participate in a joint mission to the country’s space station, becoming the first foreign astronaut to enter China's Tiangong space station.
One of the two Pakistanis will take part as a payload specialist, reported by state-run Xinhua.
These astronauts will help the crew with daily activities and perform scientific experiments for Pakistan.
The crew will conduct new life science experiments involving zebrafish, planarians and streptomyces, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) spokesman Lin Xiqiang stated.
These experiments will mark China's first space-based investigation into the regeneration of planarians, a new organism introduced to China's space station and known for their extraordinary ability to regrow organs, Lin added.
The lift off-comes as China’s progress in lunar and space exploration is expanding in different countries.
