China: China has sent a new crew to its Tiangong space station as part of its expanding space programme, with the goal of sending humans to the Moon by 2030.
The Chinese spaceflight Shenzhou-17 took off from the Jiuquan launch site in northwest China at 11:14 am, carrying a crew of three astronauts with the youngest average age ever for the space station’s construction.
During a farewell ceremony, hundreds of supporters, waving the Chinese national flag and holding yellow flowers, enthusiastically cheered on the three astronauts.
Tiangong, also known as the Tiangong space station, is a space station built by China and operated by the China Manned Space Agency. It is permanently crewed and located in low Earth orbit, positioned between 340 and 450 kilometres above the Earth’s surface.
Leading the crew is Mr. Tang Hongbo, who is launching on his first return mission to the space station. Joining him are Mr. Tang Shengjie and Mr. Jiang Xinlin, both in their thirties and each making their first space journeys.
The fully male crew is the youngest team ever to participate in a space station mission, with an average age of 38.
Mr. Lin Xiqiang, the deputy director of the China Manned Space Agency, will carry out a variety of in-orbit space science experiments and payload tests.
The Shenzhou-16 crew, who have been on board Tiangong for almost five months, are getting ready to welcome the new trio before their own return to Earth next week.
A large crowd of people gathered near the rocket site at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi Desert, as per the statement.
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