Three Chinese astronauts enter space station after successful launch

BEIJING: Three Chinese astronauts, including a woman, made a smooth entry into the orbiting space station after the successful launch of their spaceship on Wednesday to man the station for the next six months.

The three astronauts of China's Shenzhou-19 spaceflight mission have entered the Tiangong space station and met with another astronaut trio starting a new round of in-orbit crew handover, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced here.

Earlier, the spaceship Shenzhou-19 carrying the three astronauts successfully docked with the space station combination.

The spaceship made a fast, automated rendezvous and docking with the front port of the space station's core module Tianhe at 11 am (Beijing Time) after which the three astronauts entered it, the CMSA said.

They were welcomed by the three-member crew which manned the station for the past six months.

In the early hours of Wednesday, the Shenzhou-19 spaceship was successfully launched by a Long March-2F carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China.

About 10 minutes after the launch, the Shenzhou-19 spaceship separated from the rocket and entered its designated orbit.

China built its space station after it was reportedly excluded from the International Space Station (ISS) over concerns that China's space programme is manned by its military, the People's Liberation Army (PLA). It is currently the only country to have a space station.

The ISS is a collaborative project of several countries. Observers say China's space station may become the only one of its kind in orbit once the ISS retires in the coming years.

The two robotic arms of the station, especially the long one which has the ability to grab objects including satellites from space, drew international concerns.

Earlier this month, China announced its plans for the further development of space programmes which included launching a manned lunar mission, construction of a lunar space station, exploration of habitable planets and extra-terrestrial life to expand its space programme in the next few decades.

Besides building its space station, China has launched several space missions, including a lunar probe that collected samples for the first time from the far side of the Moon and brought them back to Earth for scientific studies.

The Shenzhou-19 crew consists of mission commander Cai Xuzhe, and astronauts Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze.

Wang is currently China's only female space engineer and the third Chinese woman participating in a crewed spaceflight mission, the CMSA said.

The tasks for the new crew included conducting space science and application tests, performing extravehicular activities, installing protective devices against space debris, and managing the installation and recycling of extravehicular payloads and equipment.

Lin Xiqiang, the CMSA spokesperson, told a press conference on Tuesday that the crew will carry out 86 space science research and technology experiments, covering various fields including space life science, microgravity fundamental physics, space material science, space medicine and new space technologies.

The Shenzhou-19 astronauts will complete in-orbit rotation with the trio currently manning and stay at the space station for approximately six months.

Wang Haoze explained that she will be mainly responsible for space experimental projects, cargo management, and space station operation management.

China is also engaging in discussions to select and train astronauts from partner nations, inviting international counterparts to join its space station flight missions, Lin said.

Considering the close ties, an astronaut from Pakistan was expected to join in future space station missions.

"No matter which country participates, it is humanity's collective quest to unravel the mysteries of the cosmos," Lin said.