China has successfully sent the first astronauts to orbit to begin occupation of the country’s new space station, spurring its space programme further to challenge the United States.
Gatekeepers News reports that the all-male astronauts; Nie Haisheng (56), Liu Boming (54) and Tang Hongbo (45) are to use three months aboard the Tianhe module for some 380km (236 miles) above the Earth.
Gatekeepers News gathered that the Chinese spaceflight, Shenzhou-12 lifted off at about 01:22 GMT on Thursday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China and docked with the country’s space station Thursday afternoon, in about seven hours after blasting off.
The launch was carried with a Long March-2F carrier rocket.
The basic object of the astronauts is to bring the 22.5-tonne Tianhe module into service.
China started the development of its space station this year with the launch of Tianhe, the first and largest of the station’s three modules in late April.
“I have a lot of expectations,” commander of the team, Nie Haisheng said ahead of the launch.
“We need to set up our new home in space and test a series of new technologies. So, the mission is tough and challenging.
“I believe with the three of us working closely together, doing thorough and accurate operations, we can overcome our challenges. We have the confidence to complete the mission.”
