China's Shenzhou-23 crewed spaceship is scheduled to be launched at 11:08 p.m. Sunday (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, the China Manned Space Agency announced on Saturday.
Zhang Jingbo, spokesman of the agency, announced the launch schedule while briefing the media on the main tasks of the Shenzhou-23 mission.
"As evaluated and decided by the mission headquarters, the Shenzhou-23 spaceship is scheduled to be launched at 11:08 p.m. on May 24 (Beijing Time). The crew consists of astronauts Zhu Yangzhu, Zhang Zhiyuan and Lai Ka-ying, with Zhu being the commander," Zhang said.
The three astronauts, Zhu Yangzhu, Zhang Zhiyuan and Lai Ka-ying will take over control of China's Tiangong space station from the Shenzhou-21 crew who are currently in orbit.
"Astronaut Zhu Yangzhu previously took part in the Shenzhou-16 manned space mission. Zhang Zhiyuan and Lai Ka-ying, from China's third and fourth batches of astronauts respectively, are making their first spaceflight. Zhang Zhiyuan was a pilot from Air Force. Lai Ka-ying worked for Hong Kong Police Force," Zhang said.
Notably, one astronaut from the Shenzhou-23 crew is set to conduct a year-long stay in orbit, while the other two will spend about six months in space.
The combination of the Shenzhou-23 crewed spaceship and a Long March-2F carrier rocket was transferred to the launching area on May 16, with pre-launch function checks and joint tests being conducted to ensure its mission readiness.
China to launch Shenzhou-23 crewed spaceship on Sunday
China to launch Shenzhou-23 crewed spaceship on Sunday
China to launch Shenzhou-23 crewed spaceship on Sunday
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Friday that peace negotiations between Iran and the United States are not close to an agreement.
"The ongoing diplomatic process and the senior Pakistani officials' presence in Tehran do not mean that we have reached a turning point or determining situation," Baghaei told state-run IRIB TV, as Pakistan's Army Chief Asim Munir and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi are in Iran's capital for bilateral message exchanges.
"We cannot say to have reached a point where an agreement is close; not necessarily, that is not the case," he said, noting that differences between Iran and the United States are such "deep and numerous," and that diplomacy takes time.
Baghaei emphasized that talks aim to end hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon, adding that Iran's nuclear program is not on the agenda at this stage.
The situation of the Strait of Hormuz and U.S. attacks on Iran-linked ships must also be reviewed and discussed, he said.
Baghaei has been formally appointed as the spokesman for the Iranian delegation in talks with the United States, the IRIB reported on Friday.
In a decree issued on Friday, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who leads the negotiating team with the United States, named Baghaei as the spokesman for the "Minab 168" delegation.
Iran, the United States and Israel reached a ceasefire on April 8 after 40 days of fighting that started with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28.
Following the truce, Iranian and U.S. delegations held one round of peace talks in Pakistan's Islamabad on April 11 and 12, which failed to yield an agreement.
Over the past weeks, the two sides have reportedly exchanged several proposed plans outlining conditions for ending the conflict through Pakistani mediation.
Iran says peace talks with U.S. not close to agreement
