JIUQUAN, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- The Shenzhou-17 astronauts will perform various in-orbit space science and application payload tests and experiments, a senior official from the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced at a press conference on Wednesday.
They will carry out extravehicular activities, install extravehicular payloads and conduct space station maintenance and other tasks, said Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the CMSA.
The Shenzhou-17 astronauts will do extravehicular experimental maintenance for the first time, which is a very challenging task, Lin added.
The astronauts will also continue to assess the functioning and performance of the space station and test the coordination and compatibility of ground support centers in performing space station operation and management tasks, to further enhance the operating efficiency and fault correction capability of the space station, he said.
The Shenzhou-17 crewed spaceship is scheduled to be launched at 11:14 a.m. Thursday (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.
The Shenzhou-17 crew consisting of Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin, will take over from the in-orbit Shenzhou-16 crew, and will spend about six months on the space station, Lin said. ■
