JIUQUAN, April 23 — China is set to launch its latest manned space mission this week, with a seasoned astronaut at the helm and two newcomers making their debut voyage to the country’s Tiangong space station.

The Shenzhou-20 spacecraft is scheduled for liftoff at 5:17 p.m. local time on Thursday (0917 GMT) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the China Manned Space Agency, confirmed during a press briefing on Wednesday.

Leading the mission is 46-year-old Chen Dong, a veteran astronaut and former fighter pilot, who in 2022 became the first Chinese to remain in orbit for more than 200 days.

Joining him are Chen Zhongrui, a former air force pilot in his early forties, and 35-year-old Wang Jie, a former space technology engineer. Both will be embarking on their first spaceflight.

The current crew aboard Tiangong is expected to return to Earth on April 29, following a handover with the incoming team.

China’s space program, which became the third in the world to send humans into orbit, has made significant strides in recent years, including successful robotic missions to Mars and the Moon.

Tiangong — China’s permanent space station operated by rotating three-person crews every six months — stands as the centerpiece of Beijing’s growing ambitions in space exploration.

Under President Xi Jinping, China has accelerated its pursuit of the "space dream", with plans to send astronauts to the Moon by 2030 and eventually build a lunar base.