The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) on Thursday disclosed the main tasks of the Shenzhou-21 manned spaceflight mission at a press briefing.
The Shenzhou-21 crewed spaceship is scheduled to be launched at 11:44 p.m. Friday (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, said Zhang Jingbo, spokesperson of the agency.
Zhang also told the press an overview of the main tasks of the mission.
"This is the sixth crewed mission during the application and development stage of China's space station, and the 37th flight mission of China's manned space program. The main objectives of the mission are to complete an in-orbit crew handover with the Shenzhou-20 crew, reside on the space station for about six months to conduct space science and application tasks, perform extravehicular activities and transport cargo in and out of the cabin, install protective devices to guard against space debris, deploy and retrieve extravehicular payloads and equipment, conduct science popularization education and public welfare activities, and carry out payload experiment of the space station. These efforts aim to continuously leverage the comprehensive application benefits of the space station," said Zhang.
Chinese astronauts Zhang Lu, Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang will carry out the mission, and Zhang Lu will be the commander, according to the agency.
China reveals main tasks of Shenzhou-21 manned space mission
U.S. stocks ended lower on Tuesday as lingering uncertainty over the second round of peace talks between the United States and Iran stoke investors' concerns over rising tensions in the Middle East.
The process of the expected second round of peace talks between the United States and Iran seems stalled as Iran reportedly decided not to take part, accusing the United States of violating the ceasefire. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump announced to extend the ceasefire on some conditions.
At the close of Tuesday's trading session, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 293.18 points, or 0.59 percent, to 49,149.38. The S and P 500 sank 45.13 points, or 0.63 percent, to 7,064.01. The Nasdaq Composite Index shed 144.429 points, or 0.59 percent, to 24,259.964.
Ten of the 11 primary S and P 500 sectors ended in red, with real estate and utilities leading the laggards by going down 1.94 percent and 1.75 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, energy bucked the trend by adding 1.31 percent.
Following Apple's leadership reshuffle announcement, the company's shares fell 2.52 percent on Tuesday, leading the declines among the "Magnificent Seven" technology giants.
Apple said Monday that CEO Tim Cook will become executive chairman of the company's board of directors, while John Ternus, Apple's senior vice president of hardware engineering, will become the company's next CEO effective Sept 1, 2026.
US stocks end lower amid uncertain 2nd round of peace talks with Iran
