China's Shenzhou-20 crew begins mission at Tiangong station

• The Shenzhou-20 crew arrived at the Tiangong station after a six-hour flight.
• The mission will last until the end of October, including scientific experiments.
• The return of the Shenzhou-19 crew is scheduled for April 29.

Three Chinese taikonauts participating in the Shenzhou-20 mission reached the Tiangong space station after a flight of more than six hours. The launch took place from the Jiuquan spaceport in the Gobi Desert, and the crew departed on Thursday at 5:20 PM local time.

During the mission, which will last until the end of October, the Shenzhou-20 crew will conduct a series of scientific experiments. One of these will involve analyzing tissue regeneration in planarians—a type of flatworm capable of organ regeneration. This study aims to enhance our understanding of treating injuries related to space travel.

The Shenzhou-19 mission crew, currently at the Tiangong station, welcomed the new arrivals: mission commander Chen Dong, an experienced taikonaut, and first-time space travelers Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie. According to the China daily, the station hatch was opened at 1:17 AM Beijing time.

The return of the Shenzhou-19 crew, whose mission began on October 30 last year, is scheduled for April 29.

The launch of the Shenzhou-20 mission coincided with the celebration of the 10th Space Day in China, highlighting the country's increasing engagement in space exploration. The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) supervises these activities, aiming to advance space technology further.

The Shenzhou-20 mission marks another step in China's ambitious space program, which focuses on continued research and development of space technologies. The experiments conducted on the Tiangong station could contribute significantly to advances in space medicine and other scientific fields.