China has successfully launched three astronauts into space, bringing the country one step closer to completing its new space station
The Shenzhou-12 spacecraft, or Divine Vessel, was launched on a Long March-2F carrier rocket Thursday morning, from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China's Gobi Desert.The mission will send the crew to the core module of the planned space station, called Tiangong or Heavenly Palace, which is still under construction in a low Earth orbit.
Liu Boming, the second oldest team member, joined China's 2008 space mission, in which he helped Zhai Zhigang become the first Chinese astronaut to conduct a spacewalk.He is expected to play a crucial role during outside cabin operations in this mission, according to state-run Global Times. The crew's youngest member, Tang Hongbo, is the only one of the three yet to travel to space, despite training for 11 years, according to state media.
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