Members of the previous Shenzhou-16 crew – aboard Tiangong for nearly five months now – are preparing to receive the trio before returning to Earth next week.
A livestream showed that crew onboard the space station monitoring their ascent in anticipation of their arrival.
After the rocket had been airborne for about 15 minutes, a space programme official proclaimed the launch a “complete success”.
Tiangong, the crown jewel of Beijing’s space programme, is constantly crewed by rotating teams of three astronauts.
SPACE DREAM
Plans for China’s “space dream” have been put into overdrive under President Xi Jinping.
The world’s second-largest economy has pumped billions of dollars into its military-run space programme in an effort to catch up with the United States and Russia.
In June, the return capsule of the Shenzhou-15 spaceship touched down at a landing site in the northern Inner Mongolia region, with state media hailing the mission as a “complete success”.
That month also saw the launch of the Shenzhou-16 capsule, which carried the first Chinese civilian – Beihang University professor Gui Haichao – into orbit.
That crew will return to Earth on Oct 31 after completing a handover, officials said Wednesday.
Beijing also aims to send a crewed mission to the Moon by 2030 and plans to build a base on the lunar surface.
Deputy director Lin reiterated that aim on Wednesday, saying that the “goal of landing Chinese people on the moon by 2030 will be realised as scheduled”.
Source: CNA
