China names a three-person crew for the Shenzhou-14 spacecraft, which is scheduled to launch on June 5.

HIGHLIGHTS

China will be the only country in the world to have a space station once it is completed.

The Chinese Space Station is anticipated to compete with the Russian International Space Station.

CSS might be the only space station in orbit once the International Space Station retires, according to observers.

China presented a three-member astronaut team on Saturday who will go to the International Space Station aboard the Shenzhou-14 spacecraft for a six-month mission to finish the building of the country's space station, which is presently circling the Earth. The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) stated on Saturday that the Shenzhou-14 spacecraft carrying astronauts Chen Dong, Liu Yang, and Cai Xuzhe will dock with the Tiangong space station, which is presently under construction.

On Sunday, the Shenzhou-14 spacecraft will be launched from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China aboard a Long March-2F carrier rocket.

Previously, in April, a three-member Chinese astronaut team, including a woman, returned to Earth after spending a record six months building critical elements of the space station, which was anticipated to be finished this year.

According to the CMSA, they have finished the verification of essential technologies for its space station.

China will be the only country with a space station once it is completed. The Russian International Space Station (ISS) is a joint project involving various countries.

The China Space Station (CSS) is planned to be a rival to Russia's International Space Station (ISS).

CSS may become the lone space station to remain in orbit as the ISS departs in the future years, according to observers.

At a news briefing at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the CMSA, stated Chen, who would be the next mission's commander, participated in the Shenzhou-11 crewed spaceflight mission, Liu in the Shenzhou-9 mission, while Cai is a newbie to space.

Lin stated that the trio will remain in orbit for six months.

The Tiangong space station will be completed by the Shenzhou-14 mission, which will consist of a basic three-module structure consisting of the core module Tianhe and the lab modules Wentian and Mengtian.

Lin Xiqiang, the deputy director of the CMSA, was quoted by the state-run Xinhua news agency as stating that the Shenzhou-14 mission will turn the space station into a national space laboratory.

The Shenzhou-14 crew will see the two lab modules, Tianzhou-5 cargo vehicle, and Shenzhou-15 crewed spaceship dock with the Tianhe core module during their stay in orbit.

They'll cycle in orbit with the Shenzhou-15 crew before returning to the Dongfeng landing site in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in December, according to Lin.

Shenzhou-14 is the third of four crewed flights – and the seventh of a total of 11 – required to finish the space station by the end of the year.