Shenzhou-21 spaceship ready for launch with favorable weather conditions

The Shenzhou-21 spaceship is in good shape and ready for launch, with a favorable weather condition, according to staff workers at the launch site.

The crewed spaceship is scheduled to blast off at 23:44 Beijing Time from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, sending astronauts Zhang Lu, Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang to China's Tiangong space station.

The propellant loading for the launch vehicle was finished on Thursday afternoon, marking the beginning of the Shenzhou-21 mission's countdown phase.

From the start of propellant loading until tonight's launch, staff will continuously monitor rocket propellant leakage concentrations, propellant tank pressure and temperature, and the verticality of the rocket body.

The spaceship, which has also finished propellant filling before it was transferred to the launch area in combination with the Long March-2F Y21 carrier rocket, is now well connected with all systems, according to Liu Xiaozhen, a designer of the spacecraft.

"After docking with the launch vehicle, the assembly was transferred to the launch pad. Subsequently, we conducted a joint test involving astronauts and all systems to verify interfaces and coordination among the systems. The spaceship is now in optimal condition, fully compatible with all system interfaces, and ready for launch," Liu said.

The launch window for the Shenzhou-21 crewed spacecraft was determined by meteorologists at the center after analyzing thousands of meteorological datasets and repeated consultations.

According to the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center's meteorological office, this year's launch window falls during a lull in cold air activity, with stable weather highly favorable for the mission.

Now, the scientists are closely monitoring relevant real-time weather conditions, including surface winds and temperature, upper-level winds, as well as solar flare and geomagnetic storm events in space, according to Zhang Fang, a meteorologist at the launch center.

"The launch window today features light surface and upper-level winds, with temperatures around 10 degrees Celsius, and favorable space weather conditions, all conducive to the mission's launch tonight," Zhang said.

Shenzhou-21 spaceship ready for launch with favorable weather conditions

The United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) government has issued a statement promising to cover the food and accommodation costs for stranded tourists in hotels across the country, following Iran's military strikes on US bases in the region.

Iran's retaliatory strikes came after the United States and Israel launched what they called "major combat operations" against Iran, which led to the killing of Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei, a number of senior officials, and a large number of civilians. Iran's retaliatory attacks have targeted Israel and U.S. facilities across the region, with explosions reported in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

The UAE government issued a notice to hotels on Sunday, stating that given the current special circumstances, some tourists, although past their original check-out date, are unable to leave the country due to force majeure. The statement requests all hotels to extend the stay of these guests until they can leave the country smoothly, noting that the relevant costs will be borne by the government.

Previously, the UAE News Agency issued a statement saying that due to the large-scale cancellation of flights, the closure of airports nationwide, and the blockade of airspace, the UAE General Authority of Civil Aviation would be responsible for paying for the food and accommodation costs of thousands of stranded tourists.

Chinese tourists stranded in Abu Dhabi told China Media Group reporter that they were pleasantly surprised to receive assistance from the UAE government.

"It was quite unexpected, because logically it shouldn't be provided by them; it's more like an extra service for tourists. An announcement from the UAE Department of Culture and Tourism said that stranded people can be provided with free accommodation until flights resume. The hotel provides three meals a day, and daily laundry service. We saw it on Ctrip; it's a four-star hotel, one of the better chain hotels recommended by the platform," said a Chinese tourist.

UAE to provide free accommodation, food to stranded tourists following Iranian attacks