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China Reveals New Team of Astronauts for Space Station Launch

Astronauts for China's Shenzhou-20 space mission (L-R) Wang Jie, Chen Dong and Chen Zhongrui attend a press conference a day before the launch of the mission, at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi desert, in northwest China on April 23, 2025. (Photo by Pedro Pardo / AFP)
Astronauts for China's Shenzhou-20 space mission (L-R) Wang Jie, Chen Dong and Chen Zhongrui attend a press conference a day before the launch of the mission, at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi desert, in northwest China on April 23, 2025. (Photo by Pedro Pardo / AFP)
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China Reveals New Team of Astronauts for Space Station Launch

Astronauts for China's Shenzhou-20 space mission (L-R) Wang Jie, Chen Dong and Chen Zhongrui attend a press conference a day before the launch of the mission, at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi desert, in northwest China on April 23, 2025. (Photo by Pedro Pardo / AFP)
Astronauts for China's Shenzhou-20 space mission (L-R) Wang Jie, Chen Dong and Chen Zhongrui attend a press conference a day before the launch of the mission, at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi desert, in northwest China on April 23, 2025. (Photo by Pedro Pardo / AFP)

China announced Wednesday the members of a three-person crew that will be launched to its space station as part of its growing exploration of space.
The Shenzhou 20 mission's astronauts are Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie, Lin Xiqiang, deputy director general of China Manned Space Agency. They will replace three astronauts currently on the Chinese space station. Like those before them, they will stay there for roughly six months, The Associated Press reported.
The three will launch for space Thursday evening in China, from Jiuquan, on the edge of the Gobi Desert in northwestern China.
The three-person crew were sent in October last year and have been in space for 175 days, said Lin.
Chen Dong, who previously served on the Shenzhou 11 and Shenzhou 14 missions, is the group leader, while his two crewmates will be making their first trips to space. Chen Zhongrui was an air force pilot and Wang Jie, an engineer with the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
“I feel incomparable pride and accomplishment to go to space for my country again,” Chen Dong told reporters on Wednesday. “Each journey to space is unparalleled, I'm looking forward to gaining more experience and more breakthroughs through this flight."
Chen Dong led construction of the space station during the Shenzhou 14 mission.
While in space, the astronauts will carry out experiments in space medicine, and space technology; perform extravehicular trips; and make improvements to the space station.
China built its own space station after it was excluded from the International Space Station owing to US national security concerns over the control of the country's space program by the People’s Liberation Army, the military branch of the ruling Communist Party.
China's space program has grown rapidly in recent years. The space agency has landed an explorer on Mars and a rover on the far side of the moon. It aims to put a person on the moon before 2030.
The returning astronauts are expected to land on April 29.

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KAUST Study: More Large Mammals Roamed Arabian Peninsula than Previously Thought

According to KAUST, the study serves as a key scientific reference supporting the objectives of the Saudi Green Initiative and the Middle East Green Initiative. SPA
According to KAUST, the study serves as a key scientific reference supporting the objectives of the Saudi Green Initiative and the Middle East Green Initiative. SPA
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KAUST Study: More Large Mammals Roamed Arabian Peninsula than Previously Thought

According to KAUST, the study serves as a key scientific reference supporting the objectives of the Saudi Green Initiative and the Middle East Green Initiative. SPA
According to KAUST, the study serves as a key scientific reference supporting the objectives of the Saudi Green Initiative and the Middle East Green Initiative. SPA

A new study by researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), published in the Journal of Biogeography, has identified 15 large mammal species that inhabited the Arabian Peninsula over the past 10,000 years - three times more than previously recognized.
According to KAUST, this study offers the most comprehensive list to date of large mammals from this period and establishes a benchmark for rewilding efforts in the region. It also serves as a key scientific reference supporting the objectives of the Saudi Green Initiative and the Middle East Green Initiative, as well as the programs of the National Center for Wildlife (NCW) and the National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification.
"Restoration is not just about plants, for animals play a key role in vegetation communities. In highlighting which large mammals became extinct, we are providing information that will help governments decide which mammals to reintroduce in the future,” said KAUST senior project manager and contributor to the study Christopher Clarke.
During the study, researchers analyzed thousands of petroglyphs (ancient rock carvings) collected during field expeditions as well as from shared social media content, which gave researchers access to a large collection of petroglyphs unknown to the scientific community.
The study revealed that most of the 15 mammal species come from Africa, including lions and cheetahs, and identified two species never previously recorded in the Arabian Peninsula: the greater kudu and the Somali wild donkey.
This study aligns with national efforts to restore ecological balance, particularly in light of the pioneering initiatives launched by NCW, including the reintroduction programs for the Arabian oryx and the cheetah.