China has successfully docked the Shenzhou-12 spacecraft with three astronauts aboard, bringing China a step closer to its new space station.
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The spacecraft, also named as ¡®Divine Vessel¡¯ was launched on a Long March-2F carrier rocket from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre that¡¯s situated in northwest China¡¯s Gobi Desert.
The mission, which is the first manned mission by China in nearly five years, took the astronauts to the core module of the space station dubbed Tiangong or Heavenly Palace that¡¯s currently floating in low-Earth orbit.?
The spacecraft has successfully docked with the core module, roughly six and a hours after the launch, as reported by Chinese state media CGTN.?
The three-man crew will be led by Nie Haisheng, one of the oldest members of the team and a former fighter pilot for the People¡¯s Liberation Army. The second oldest astronaut on the team is Liu Boming who was also a part of China¡¯s 2008 space mission. The third member is the youngest among the trio -- Tang Hongbo and has over 11 years in space training.?china shenzhou-12 mission
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As per the mission details, the crew is expected to be in space for three months straight while also testing the life support and maintenance system of Tiangong. This mission is the first crewed mission as well as the third of the eleven that are planned for the deployment of the space station.?
The crew is expected to conduct two long-duration spacewalks during the three month period. The crew is also expected to receive another three-crewed spacecraft along with two laboratory modules. The space station is slated to be ready to use by the end of 2022.