Carring three astronauts on Thursday, China launched a spacecraft to part of a space station still under construction for the longest stay in low Earth orbit by any Chinese national.
It was China’s seventh crewed mission to space, the first during the construction of China’s space station, and also the first in nearly five years after the country’s last manned mission in 2016, state media reported.
A Long March 2F rocket transporting the Shenzhou-12, or “Divine Vessel”, bound for the space station module Tianhe blasted off at 9:22 a.m. Beijing time (0122 GMT) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern Gansu province.
The launch time saw bright blue skies with near perfect visibility at the launch center on the edge of the Gobi Desert.
The two veteran astronauts and a newcomer making his first space flight are heading to the Tianhe station for a three-month stay in its main living compartment for three months while they carry out experiments, test equipment, conduct maintenance and prepare the station for receiving two additional modules next year.
The veteran astronaut has been hailed by his team as a bastion of stability and a teacher figure who constantly challenges others with tough questions.
“As long as we have him in our hearts, we have nothing to fear,” fellow astronaut Wang Yaping, who is part of the Shenzhou-12 backup team, told state media previously.
“In our crew, elder brother Nie is like the needle that stills the sea,” she said.
