China has launched three astronauts into space on Thursday, marking a further step in the country's ambitions for a crewed mission to the Moon and explore Mars.
The Shenzhou 20 spaceship was launched as planned atop China’s workhorse Long March 2F rocket at 17:17 local time. It was set to reach the Tiangong space station about 6.5 hours later.
The rocket lifted off from the launch centre in Jiuquan, on the edge of the Gobi Desert in northwestern China. The ship will remain in space before returning the current crew.
While in space, the astronauts will conduct experiments in medical science and new technologies and perform space walks to carry out maintenance and install new equipment, the Manned Space Agency said.
The Tiangong, or “Heavenly Palace”, space station has made China a major contender in space, providing an entirely Chinese-built platform after the country was excluded from the International Space Station over US national security concerns.
China's space programme is controlled by the People’s Liberation Army, the military branch of the ruling Communist Party.
The addition of mechanical arms to the three-module station has raised concerns from other powers that China could use them to disable satellites or other space vehicles during a crisis.
