JIUQUAN, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese astronauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu will carry out the Shenzhou-18 crewed spaceflight mission, and Ye will be the commander, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced at a press conference on Wednesday.

The Shenzhou-18 crewed spaceship will be launched at 8:59 p.m. Thursday (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, said Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the CMSA.

新华社酒泉4月24日电——中国载人航天工程局（CMSA）于本周三在新闻发布会上宣布，中国航天员叶光富、李聪、李广苏将执行神舟十八号载人航天任务，叶光复担任指挥员。中国载人航天工程新闻发言人、中国载人航天工程办公室副主任林西强会上表示，经任务总指挥部研究决定，瞄准4月25日20时59分发射神舟十八号载人飞船。

After entering orbit, the Shenzhou-18 spaceship will perform a fast automated rendezvous and docking with the radial port of the space station core module Tianhe, which will take about 6.5 hours, forming a combination of three modules and three spacecraft, Lin said.

按计划，神舟十八号载人飞船入轨后，将采用自主快速交会对接模式，约6.5小时后对接于天和核心舱径向端口，形成三船三舱组合体。

This undated photo shows Chinese astronauts Ye Guangfu (C), Li Cong (R) and Li Guangsu who will carry out the Shenzhou-18 spaceflight mission. (Xinhua)

即将执行神舟十八号航天任务的中国宇航员叶光富（中）、李聪（右）和李广苏。（图源：新华社）

All the three Shenzhou-18 astronauts are from the post-1980s generation. This will be the second space flight mission for Ye Guangfu who was a crew member of the Shenzhou-13 mission from October 2021 to April 2022. Li Cong and Li Guangsu, among the third batch of Chinese astronauts, are both newcomers to space.

神舟十八号的三名航天员都是80后。叶光富是我国第二批航天员，执行过2021年10月至2022年4月期间的神舟十三号载人飞行任务。李聪和李广苏均为我国第三批航天员，都是首次执行飞行任务。

Ye Guangfu (C), Li Cong (R) and Li Guangsu, the three Chinese astronauts for the upcoming Shenzhou-18 spaceflight mission, meet the press at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, April 24, 2024. (Xinhua/Bei He)

2024年4月24日，即将执行神舟十八号航天飞行任务的三名中国航天员叶光富（中）、李聪（右）和李广苏在中国西北部的酒泉卫星发射中心会见新闻界。（图源：新华社）

The crew will stay in orbit for about six months, and they will witness the arrival of the Tianzhou-8 cargo craft and Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceship during their stay, Lin said.

神舟十八号航天员在空间站驻留约6个月，在轨驻留期间，乘组将迎来天舟八号货运飞船和神舟十九号载人飞船的来访。

The crew will utilize the scientific experiment cabinets and extravehicular payloads to carry out more than 90 experiments in the fields of basic physics in microgravity, space material science, space life science, space medicine and space technology, Lin said.

乘组将利用舱内科学实验机柜和舱外载荷，在微重力基础物理、空间材料科学、空间生命科学、航天医学、航天技术等领域，开展90余项实(试)验。

The country's first in-orbit aquatic ecological research project will also be implemented during the mission. Using zebrafish and goldfish algae to establish a self-cycling aquatic ecosystem in orbit, the project aims to make to a breakthrough in the cultivation of vertebrates in space, Lin noted.

本次神舟十八号将上行实验装置及相关样品，实施国内首次在轨水生生态研究项目，以斑马鱼和金鱼藻为研究对象，在轨建立稳定运行的空间自循环水生生态系统，实现我国在太空培养脊椎动物的突破。

The world's first in-orbit stem cell study on the plant's stem tips will be made to explore plant evolutionary adaptation to gravity and provide theoretical support for space cropping, said Lin.

还将实施国际上首次植物茎尖干细胞功能在轨研究，揭示植物进化对重力的适应机制，为后续定向设计适应太空环境的空间作物提供理论支撑。

The Shenzhou-18 astronauts will carry out two to three EVAs, implement six cargo outbound deliveries via the station's cargo airlock module.

神舟十八号乘组在轨期间，将实施6次载荷货物气闸舱出舱任务和2至3次出舱活动。

During the EVAs, the astronauts will install space debris protection reinforcements for extravehicular piping, cables and critical equipment, and carry out extravehicular inspections, as appropriate, to further ensure the safety of the space station, Lin said.

在目前空间站已有的空间碎片防护措施基础上，乘组将通过出舱活动，对舱外管路、电缆及关键设备安装碎片防护加固装置，视情开展舱外巡检，进一步保障空间站安全。

The Shenzhou-18 crew are scheduled to return to the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in late October this year.

神舟十八号乘组计划于今年10月下旬返回位于内蒙的东风着陆场。