Combination of Shenzhou-20 spaceship, carrier rocket being transferred to launching site

The combination of the Shenzhou-20 crewed spaceship and its Long March-2F carrier rocket is being transferred to the launching site in the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, in preparation for its scheduled launch into space later this month.

The combo, which weighs more than 43 tons and has a total altitude of nearly 60 meters, is being vertically moved to the launching site.

During the transfer process, an extremely high level of stability is required. To achieve this, engineers designed an oversized and heavy-duty mobile launch platform, providing solid support for the rocket and spacecraft assembly.

"Compared with previous years, this year has seen more frequent and stronger windy and sandy weathers. By means of accurate weather forecasts, we are able to select favorable time windows and carry out real-time direct transfers, ensuring better protection and safety of the products," said Zheng Yonghuang, chief engineer with the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.

The vertical transfer operation will take over two hours. Afterward, the rocket and spacecraft assembly will arrive at the launch tower, officially entering the launch preparation phase.

According to schedule, the Shenzhou-20 crewed spacecraft is set to be launched at an appropriate time in the coming days.

The Shenzhou-20 space mission will replace the previous mission -- the Shenzhou 19 -- for a six-month stay at China's Tiangong space station in orbit.

Combination of Shenzhou-20 spaceship, carrier rocket being transferred to launching site

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on Monday launched the first phase of a new claims system that will allow importers to seek repayment of tariffs collected under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

Companies and their customs brokers can submit refund requests through CBP's Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) portal using a newly developed tool known as the Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries, or CAPE, starting Monday.

Once a claim is validated, CBP will recalculate the duties without the IEEPA tariffs and reliquidate the entries, triggering repayment. The refunds will be paid directly to the businesses that originally paid the tariffs, local media reported Monday.

Valid refunds will generally be issued within 60 to 90 days after a claim is accepted, CBP said, though more complex cases could take longer.

CBP is rolling out the refund process in phases. Court filings show that more than 330,000 importers paid duties on over 53 million shipments, totaling roughly 166 billion U.S. dollars.

The Supreme Court ruled in February that U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs under IEEPA are unconstitutional. It is Congress, not the president, that holds authority over such taxes.

Following the ruling, a judge at the U.S. Court of International Trade directed CBP to remove the tariffs from affected entries and refund any excess duties collected, along with interest.

U.S. gov't begins refunding tariffs to businesses