Chinese astronauts, or taikonauts, Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie will carry out the Shenzhou-20 crewed mission, with Chen Dong serving as the commander, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced on Wednesday.

The Shenzhou-20 spaceship is scheduled to be launched at 5:17 p.m. on April 24 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, the CMSA said.

Chen Dong

This is Chen Dong's third space mission. Chen completed the Shenzhou-11 space mission in 2016 and the Shenzhou-14 space mission in 2022. Chen was born in 1978 and was selected to join the second intake of Chinese astronauts.

Chen Zhongrui

Chen Zhongrui is a newcomer to space. He is from the third intake of Chinese astronauts. Born in 1984, Chen is a former pilot of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force.

Wang Jie

This is the first space mission for Wang Jie, who was selected to join the third intake of Chinese astronauts in 2020. Born in 1989, Wang is an engineer from the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

(Cover: Chinese astronauts Wang Jie (L), Chen Dong (C) and Chen Zhongrui will carry out the Shenzhou-20 mission. /China Manned Space Agency)