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
