China's Shenzhou-19 crew is scheduled to return to the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region from the Tiangong space station on April 29, announced the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) on Wednesday.
Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the CMSA, briefed the press on the handover plan between the Shenzhou-19 and Shenzhou- 20 mission crews at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, ahead of the launch of the Shenzhou-20 spaceship scheduled for Thursday.
""According to the plan, Shenzhou-20 spacecraft will execute the fast autonomous rendezvous and docking procedures after entering the orbit. The spacecraft will dock with the forward port of the Tianhe core module in 6.5 hours to form a three-module and three-ship assembly. During their stay, the Shenzhou-20 crew will welcome the coming and docking of Tianzhou-9 cargo ship and Shenzhou-21 manned spaceship. The crew is planned to return to the Dongfeng landing site in late October," Lin said.
"Now the flight equipment quality of the spaceship and rocket is under control, the astronaut crew is in good condition, and the facilities and equipment of ground systems are performing well. The space station is operating normally in orbit, and all pre-launch preparations are ready. Shenzhou-19 crew plans to return to the Dongfeng landing site on April 29 after the two crews complete the handover procedure in orbit," he said.
China's Shenzhou-20 crewed spaceship is scheduled to be launched at 17:17 Thursday (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the country's northwest, the CMSA announced on Wednesday.
China's Shenzhou-19 crew to return to Earth on April 29 after handover
China's Shenzhou-19 crew to return to Earth on April 29 after handover
China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on Sunday launched new year military training across all units, with forces from the army, navy, air force, rocket force, and armed police conducting intensive combat-oriented exercises to boost battlefield readiness.
On the first training day, a brigade of the Army's 79th Group Army conducted integrated combat-oriented training at an outdoor training ground. The troops continuously executed over 10 individual and squad training subjects from the training outline, focusing on enhancing their battlefield adaptability and response capabilities.
Naval forces were also active. Along the coast of the Yellow Sea, the Navy's Type 055 guided-missile destroyer Nanchang, in coordination with destroyer Xining, missile frigate Weifang, and other destroyers and frigates, carried out subjects such as naval gunnery landborne and seaborne target practices, and live firing of anti-frogman lethal rounds. They also conducted fleet air defense exercises in coordination with naval aviation, testing the troops' ability to transition from training to combat.
"Now, there is more combat-oriented training that involves the full process and all elements, aligning with future naval warfare. Whether it's basic training or coordinated training, it is no longer single-subject, single-ship, or single-platform. Now it is system-wide linkage, integration of war and training, and multi-subject fusion, testing the combat effectiveness of the ships under complex conditions," said Fang Wanhao, an officer with a destroyer flotilla of the PLA Navy.
The Air Force, involving multiple branches such as aviation, surface-to-air missile, and radar troops, conducted joint training exercises with multiple aircraft types in realistic battlefield environments to hone their combat skills. The Joint Logistics Support Force's motor transport brigade focused on difficult and critical subjects related to transport and support under extreme cold conditions. By fully integrating real combat scenarios and setting up complex emergency situations, the training aimed to enhance the officers' and soldiers' emergency response capabilities in extreme environments.
On the first training day of the new year, officers and soldiers of the People's Armed Police Yunnan Corps conducted specialized, intensive training for subjects including emergency rescue and counter-terrorism capture and annihilation, adhering to a combat-oriented training philosophy.
The Rocket Force deployed its units across multiple routes and positions, setting up formations on various training grounds. They simultaneously conducted combat-oriented training on difficult and critical subjects such as cross-regional maneuver and rapid fire assault, promoting the efficient integration of personnel with weapons and equipment, and the information network system.
"For the new year's training, we will focus on hard and intensive training closely aligned with operational missions. We will strengthen adversarial testing at extreme boundaries and in complex environments, enhance the support of technological means, and forge the superior skills to be one second faster and one move better than the enemy. We will truly achieve readiness at all times and the ability to fight at any moment, ensuring new breakthroughs in improving the level of combat-oriented training readiness," said Li Zhiyong, a PLA Rocket Force officer.
Chinese People's Liberation Army opens 2026 training season to boost combat readiness
