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Chinese astronauts arrive at space station for longest mission
The Shenzhou-13 vessel docked at its space station to kick off a record-setting six-month stay
Agence France-Presse
Fri 15 Oct 2021 20.58 EDT
Three astronauts successfully docked with China’s new space station, state media said, on what is set to be Beijing’s longest crewed mission to date and the latest landmark in its drive to become a major space power.
The three blasted off shortly after midnight on Saturday (1600 GMT) from the Jiuquan launch centre in northwestern China’s Gobi desert, state-run news agency Xinhua said, with the team expected to spend six months at the Tiangong space station.
After the launch, the China Manned Space Agency declared it a success and said the crew members “were in good shape”, according to Xinhua.
The Shenzhou-13 vessel carrying the three then docked hours later with the radial port of the space station, Xinhua said in a brief dispatch on Saturday morning.
The mission – twice as long as its 90-day predecessor – will set up equipment and test technology for future construction on the Tiangong station.
More:
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/oct/16/chinese-astronauts-arrive-at-space-station-for-longest-mission
