Telecommunications repairs are underway in Beijing's northern suburb of Miyun on Monday after infrastructure was impacted by the downpours.
The meteorological observatory in Beijing’s Miyun and Yanqing Districts issued an upgraded red alert for torrential rains on Sunday evening, the highest level in China's four-tier color-coded weather warning system. In some areas, the hourly precipitation reached 100 millimeters.
Heavy rainfall triggered floods in mountainous areas across Miyun. In some areas, water supply and telecommunications were cut off, affecting over 10,000 households in 49 villages.
On Monday morning, electricity was restored to over 4,000 people in 15 villages in Miyun District.
The roads in Miyun's Xiwanzi Village that were damaged by the heavy rain are also being repaired.
According to the local response command center, more than 4,000 people have been evacuated to safety, and over 200 trapped people have been rescued.
Telecommunications disrupted in Beijing suburb due to torrential rain
The Shenzhou-23 crewed space mission conducted its last comprehensive practice before launch on Friday, completing function checks of all systems and other preparation work.
The combination of the spaceship and a Long March-2F carrier rocket was transported to the launch site last Saturday and is scheduled for launch in the coming days, with all facilities and equipment at the launch site in good condition, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
Carried out by the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, the Xi'an Satellite Control Center, and various control stations under the coordination of the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center, the drill simulated all stages of the launch mission, including pre-launch preparations, liftoff, climb, and the in-orbit phase.
"The joint practice is to test the system's communication links, command capability, equipment, and personnel. Based on the current progress, everything is normal. What's going on in parallel is a full-system gas leak detection," He said.
The rehearsal validated the reliability of key systems, including the rocket, the spaceship, the launch site, the control and communication equipment, and the coordination between different systems. It also verified the functionality and technical status of the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft-rocket combination.
"The Shenzhou-23 spaceship is in the third batch of spacecraft after the completion of the construction of the space station. It incorporates many new quality control measures, and its payload transport capacity, reliability, and safety have all been significantly improved," said Li Zhe, an employee of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
With all facilities in good condition, the Jiuquan launch site will later conduct rocket propellant filling and launch operations.
Search and recovery drills are also underway at the landing site, in preparation for the return of the Shenzhou-21 crew.
Shenzhou-23 crewed spaceship ready for launch
