BEIJING (WAM)

Astronauts of China's upcoming two manned space missions in 2024 are undergoing targeted trainings, said Yang Liwei, deputy chief designer of China's manned spaceflight project, when introducing China's plan of space missions this year.

According to China Central Television, China successfully launched the Tianzhou-7 cargo spacecraft on Wednesday night. Its purpose is to transport essential supplies for China's orbiting Tiangong space station. This mission marks the first step in China's manned space missions set to take place in 2024.

According to Yang, 2024 will be a busy year for China's manned space launches, with six major missions planned, including the launch missions of the cargo craft Tianzhou-7 and Tianzhou-8 and the crewed spaceships Shenzhou-18 and Shenzhou-19, as well as the return of Shenzhou-17 and Shenzhou-18.

Yang also introduced the progress in China's manned lunar exploration project which was set up in 2023.