China on Sunday successfully conducted an antiballistic missile test in a move experts said on Monday is a crucial part of the country s national defense development that is defensive in nature, demonstrating the reliability of China s antiballistic missile umbrella amid US attempts to blackmail China with modern, nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missiles and deploying intermediate-range ballistic missiles in the Asia-Pacific region on the doorsteps of China.
As the number of flights remains low amid the COVID-19 pandemic, aircraft crew members and ground support facilities and equipment operate at low frequencies for a long time. In response, multiple areas in China have launched training drills to prevent pilots, maintenance workers and air traffic controllers from becoming rusty.
The Shenzhou-13 crew have safely returned to Earth after their epic six-month orbital trip, which nearly doubled the previous record of China s longest single-flight space mission of 92 days set by the Shenzhou-12, some eight hours after the manned spacecraft s detachment from the Tianhe core module.
Counting down their 180-day stay in China s space home, the Shenzhou-13 taikonauts have started preparations for their departure after having lived in the Tianhe space station core cabin for more than five months.