Briefly

Rehearsal held before Shenzhou XVII launch

China's next manned space mission, Shenzhou XVII, will soon launch three astronauts on a journey to the Tiangong space station, China Central Television reported on Sunday. An all-system rehearsal took place at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China on Sunday, the state broadcaster said, adding that all systems involved in the mission were checked in prelaunch preparations during the rehearsal. Astronauts on the Shenzhou XVII mission, whose names have yet to be disclosed, took part in the rehearsal, performing all liftoff maneuvers, CCTV reported, adding that the crew of Shenzhou XVI were ready to welcome their successors to the space station.

Beijing-San Francisco flights set to resume

Air China will resume its Beijing-San Francisco route from Nov 1, China's consulate-general in San Francisco said in a social media post on Sunday. Flight CA985 will depart from Beijing to San Francisco every Wednesday and Saturday, and flight CA986 will return to Beijing on the same days, Air China's newest schedule shows. Approved by the United States Department of Transportation late last month, the route is among a number of additional direct flights between the two countries operated by Chinese carriers. From Oct 29, there will be 48 weekly roundtrip flights between the Chinese mainland and the US.

China Daily