China has successfully launched the Shenzhou-12- its first manned mission in five years-further accelerating its space program to rival the United States.
Shenzhou-12 lifted off at about 01.22 GMT on Thursday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China, according to the live video broadcast on state television, CCTV.
Shenzhous-12 also means “Divine Vessel”.
The launch was carried with a long March-2F carrier rocket.
The spacecraft carried three male astronauts -Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming,and Tang Honbo.
In the CCTV live video, two of the three astronauts made an “OK” hand gesture as Shenxhou crossed the Earth’s atmosphere following the critical separation of the four boosters.
After entering the orbit, the spaceship will conduct a fast automated “rendezvous and docking with the in-orbit space station core module Tianhe,” according to CCTV.
The astronauts will be stationed in the core model and remain in orbit for three months.
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