- La Corte Constitucional declara al expresidente sudafricano Jacob Zuma inelegible y lo excluye de las elecciones
- Jonás Trueba muestra en Cannes su cine luminoso
- Demi Moore protagoniza un filme de horror feminista en su regreso a Cannes
- El juicio a Trump entra en su fase final, en suspense por su testimonio
- La tensión Madrid-Buenos Aires acaba en crisis diplomática abierta
- Filme sobre Trump trae la política al Festival de Cannes
- El rey de Arabia Saudita padece una infección pulmonar
- El beneficio anual de Ryanair crece un 34% gracias al aumento de pasajeros y precios
- Luis Abinader, el presidente dominicano de mano dura con Haití
- Sean "Diddy" Combs pide disculpas tras un video que lo muestra agrediendo a su expareja
- El papa Francisco califica de "locura" las actitudes antimigrantes en la frontera de EEUU
- Lai asume como presidente de Taiwán y pide el fin de la "intimidación" china
- El presidente dominicano es reelegido para un segundo mandato marcado por Haití
- El presidente iraní Raisi muere en un accidente de helicóptero
- Ebrahim Raisi, un presidente iraní ultraconservador
- Medios iraníes anuncian el deceso del presidente Raisi en accidente de helicóptero
- Lai asume como presidente de Taiwán y pide fin de "intimidación" de China
- España llama a consultas a su embajadora en Argentina y exige disculpas a Milei
- "Ninguna señal" de vida en helicóptero accidentado del presidente de Irán
- Presidente dominicano reelecto para un segundo mandato marcado por Haití
- Presidente dominicano lidera elecciones marcadas por la crisis de Haití
- Taiwán inviste a un presidente detestado por China
- Biden enfrenta protesta silenciosa por Gaza y promete a estudiantes trabajar por la paz en Oriente Medio
- Irán continúa su intensa búsqueda del presidente Raisi tras un accidente de helicóptero
- Kevin Costner vuelve al wéstern en Cannes, Serebrennikov a los fantasmas de Rusia
- El estreno de "Lula" de Oliver Stone en Cannes, un acto de adhesión al mandatario brasileño
- Al menos once muertos en bombardeos rusos en la región ucraniana de Járkov
- El barco que destruyó el puente de Baltimore será movilizado el lunes
- Manchester City hace historia, Arsenal vuelve a ser segundo
- Biden promete a estudiantes escuchar protestas por Gaza y trabajar por "paz duradera" en Oriente Medio
- Blue Origin lleva pasajeros al espacio, incluido el astronauta con más edad
- Blue Origin lleva al espacio a pasajeros tras dos años de pausa
- El presidente de Irán, ilocalizable tras un "accidente" de helicóptero
- Irán emprende búsquedas para encontrar el helicóptero del presidente Raisi tras "un accidente"
- Los bombardeos continúan en Gaza, emisario de EEUU en Israel
- Blue Origin lleva al espacio a aventureros tras dos años de pausa
China to send fresh crew to Tiangong space station
China will send a fresh crew to its Tiangong space station on Thursday evening, Beijing's Manned Space Agency announced, the latest mission in a programme that aims to send astronauts to the Moon by 2030.
The Shenzhou-18 mission -- crewed by three astronauts -- is scheduled to take off at 8:59 pm Thursday (1259 GMT) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, Beijing announced Wednesday.
It will be led by Ye Guangfu, a fighter pilot and astronaut who was previously part of the Shenzhou-13 crew in 2021.
He will be joined by astronauts Li Cong and Li Guangsu, who are heading into space for the first time.
The latest batch of Tiangong astronauts will stay in orbit for six months, carrying out experiments in gravity and physics, as well as in life sciences.
They will also carry out a "project on high-resolution global greenhouse gas detection", Deputy Director General of the CMSA Lin Xiqiang said, according to state news agency Xinhua.
"All pre-launch preparations are on schedule," he said.
"They will work with other active astronauts to carry out the follow-up space station missions and to realise the country's manned lunar landing."
The Tiangong, which means "heavenly palace", is the crown jewel of a space programme that has landed robotic rovers on Mars and the Moon, and made China the third country to independently put humans in orbit.
It is constantly crewed by rotating teams of three astronauts, with construction completed in 2022.
The Tiangong is expected to remain in low Earth orbit at between 400 and 450 kilometres (250 and 280 miles) above the planet for at least 10 years.
The new crew will replace the Shenzhou-17 team, who were sent to the station in October.
- Moon by 2030? -
Plans for China's "space dream" have been put into overdrive under President Xi Jinping.
The world's second-largest economy has pumped billions of dollars into its military-run space programme in an effort to catch up with the United States and Russia.
Beijing also aims to send a crewed mission to the Moon by 2030, and plans to build a base on the lunar surface.
China has been effectively excluded from the International Space Station since 2011, when the United States banned NASA from engaging with the country -- pushing Beijing to develop its own orbital outpost.
China's space agency said on Wednesday it had secured new international partners for its planned lunar base, known as the International Lunar Research Station, which Beijing has said will be completed by 2030.
The partners include Nicaragua, the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization and the Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences, Xinhua said.
H.Seidel--BTB