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China plans to launch the Shenzhou XX mission on Thursday afternoon for a crew shift aboard the nation's Tiangong space station, as stated by a senior program official.

据一位高级项目官员透露，中国计划于周四下午发射神舟二十号飞船，并在天宫空间站进行航天员轮换任务。

Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the China Manned Space Agency, announced at a news conference on Wednesday morning at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China that the Shenzhou XX spacecraft, carrying three crew members—mission commander Senior Colonel Chen Dong, Colonel Chen Zhongrui and Colonel Wang Jie—is set to launch at 5:17 pm on Thursday using a Long March 2F carrier rocket.

中国载人航天工程办公室副主任林西强周三上午在位于中国西北部的酒泉卫星发射中心举行的新闻发布会上宣布，神舟二十号飞船将于周四下午5点17分使用长征二号F运载火箭发射，届时将搭载三名航天员发射升空，三名航天员分别为任务指令长大校陈冬、大校陈中瑞和大校王杰。

Thursday also marks China's 10th Space Day, observed annually on April 24.

周四也是中国第十个航天日，每年的4月24日是中国航天日。

Lin mentioned that the Long March 2F rocket will soon be loaded with propellants at its service tower.

林西强提到，长征二号F火箭即将在其服务塔上进行推进剂的装载。

"After the Shenzhou XX spacecraft reaches its designated orbital position, it will engage the rapid autonomous rendezvous-docking mode and take approximately six and a half hours to approach and dock with the front port on the Tianhe core module," Lin said.

“神舟二十号飞船到达预定轨道位置后，将进入快速自主交会对接模式，大约需要六个半小时才能接近并交会对接天和核心舱的左舷。”林西强说道。

The Shenzhou XX team will conduct China's 15th manned spaceflight and become the ninth group of residents aboard the Tiangong, which is currently the only operational space station independently operated by a single nation.

神舟二十号团队将执行中国第十五次载人航天飞行，也将是进驻中国空间站“天宫”的第九批居民。天宫是目前唯一一个由单一国家独立运营的运营空间站。

The Tiangong, completed in late 2022, orbits Earth at an altitude of about 400 kilometers. It consists of three permanent components—the Tianhe core module and two large science lab modules