Beijing, China - May 22, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of employees at Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center

Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, northwest China - May 22, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
2. Employees at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center

Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province, northwest China - May 22, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
3. Various of employees at Xi'an Satellite Control Center

China - May 22, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
4. Various of signal receivers

Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, northwest China - May 22, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
5. Various of launch tower
6. Employees at mission control center
7. Screen showing simulated liftoff time
8. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) He Pengju, employee, Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center (ending with shots 9-10):
"The joint practice is to test the system's communication links, command capability, equipment, and personnel. Based on the current progress, everything is normal. What's going on in parallel is a full-system gas leak detection."
9. Various of engineers working in office, device operating
10. Various of launch tower

Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province, northwest China - May 22, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
11. Various of employees at Xi'an Satellite Control Center

Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, northwest China - May 22, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
12. Various of employees at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center
13. Various of launch tower
14. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Li Zhe, employee, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (starting with shot 13, ending with shots 15-16):
"The Shenzhou-23 spaceship is in the third batch of spacecraft after the completion of the construction of the space station. It incorporates many new quality control measures, and its payload transport capacity, reliability, and safety have all been significantly improved."
15. Carrier rocket
16. Various of launch tower

FILE: China - Exact Location and Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
17. Animation of Tiangong space station orbiting Earth

FILE: In Space - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
18. Astronauts in space station

China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
19. Various of helicopters conducting search exercise

The Shenzhou-23 crewed space mission conducted its last comprehensive practice before launch on Friday, completing function checks of all systems and other preparation work.

The combination of the spaceship and a Long March-2F carrier rocket was transported to the launch site last Saturday and is scheduled for launch in the coming days, with all facilities and equipment at the launch site in good condition, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

Carried out by the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, the Xi'an Satellite Control Center, and various control stations under the coordination of the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center, the drill simulated all stages of the launch mission, including pre-launch preparations, liftoff, climb, and the in-orbit phase.

"The joint practice is to test the system's communication links, command capability, equipment, and personnel. Based on the current progress, everything is normal. What's going on in parallel is a full-system gas leak detection," He said.

The rehearsal validated the reliability of key systems, including the rocket, the spaceship, the launch site, the control and communication equipment, and the coordination between different systems. It also verified the functionality and technical status of the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft-rocket combination.

"The Shenzhou-23 spaceship is in the third batch of spacecraft after the completion of the construction of the space station. It incorporates many new quality control measures, and its payload transport capacity, reliability, and safety have all been significantly improved," said Li Zhe, an employee of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

With all facilities in good condition, the Jiuquan launch site will later conduct rocket propellant filling and launch operations.

Search and recovery drills are also underway at the landing site, in preparation for the return of the Shenzhou-21 crew.