STORY: China to launch Shenzhou-18 crewed spaceship
SHOOTING TIME: April 24, 2024
DATELINE: April 24, 2024
LENGTH: 00:01:56
LOCATION: JIUQUAN, China
CATEGORY: TECHNOLOGY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the spaceship preparing new mission 
2. various of the press meeting
3. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): YE GUANGFU, Commander of Shenzhou-18 crew
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): LI CONG, Shenzhou-18 crew member
5. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): LI GUANGSU, Shenzhou-18 crew member

STORYLINE:

The Shenzhou-18 crewed spaceship is scheduled to be launched at 8:59 p.m. Thursday (Beijing Time) from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.

The spaceship will carry three astronauts, Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu to carry out the Shenzhou-18 spaceflight mission.

The crew will stay in orbit for about six months.

Ye, the commander of the mission, also participated in the country's Shenzhou-13 crewed space mission.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): YE GUANGFU, Commander of Shenzhou-18 crew
"There are similarities and differences in my feelings about the two missions. What remains the same is that we are fortunate to live in a great new era. And our commitment to carry out the sacred mission of manned space flight is unchanged. The difference is that the first mission for me was more about the excitement of realizing the flying dream. And this time as the commander, I face greater pressure and shoulder heavier responsibility."

Li Cong and Li Guangsu are both newcomers to space.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): LI CONG, Shenzhou-18 crew member
"The vastness of the starry sky knows no bounds, and the journey of exploration is endless.
I believe that under the guidance of the commander, with the unity of our crew and the support of the scientific researchers, we will quickly adapt to the space environment, start working as soon as possible, and accomplish our tasks smoothly and efficiently. We'll explore more mysteries and set our sights on a brighter future."

SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): LI GUANGSU, Shenzhou-18 crew member
"Our top priority will be to complete the mission with high quality, managing the space station scientifically and striving for excellence. We will take good care of and maintain our space home to make it even better. We will conduct scientific experiments with precision and attention to detail, ensuring that our space laboratory yields more valuable results."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Jiuquan, China.
(XHTV)