China’s 12th manned space flight carrying Shenzhou 17 crew for 6-month mission docks at Tiangong space station

Mission docked at space station’s Tianhe core module less than 6½ hours after lift-off from launch centre in the Gobi Desert on Thursday, CMSA says

Deputy director of China’s space agency invites countries and regions ‘committed to the peaceful use of outer space’ to take part in programme

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A Long March 2F rocket, carrying the Shenzhou 17 spacecraft and a crew of three astronauts, lifts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi desert on Thursday. Photo: Xinhua

Ling Xinin OhioandVictoria Belain Hong Kong

Published: 11:34am, 26 Oct 2023Updated: 8:54pm, 26 Oct 2023

The Chinese Manned Space Agency declared the launch of the Shenzhou 17 mission a success 17 minutes after the Long March 2F rocket carrying the crew ship took off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi Desert at 11.14am.

Chinese astronauts Tang Hongbo (right), Tang Shengjie (centre) and Jiang Xinlin are shown during the Shenzhou 17 take-off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi Desert. Photo: CCTV

It marks China’s 12th manned mission to space and China hopes its programme will eventually involve astronauts from other countries.

The craft docked at the Tianhe core module of the Tiangong space station at 5.46pm on Thursday, less than 6½ hours after its successful launch, where it will orbit about 380km (236 miles) above the Earth. The Shenzhou 16 mission crew – who have been at the station for nearly five months – opened the hatch and welcomed the new arrivals.

Shenzhou 17 mission commander Tang Hongbo holds the record for the Chinese astronaut with the shortest interval between space missions – it has been just over two years since his last mission.

He is the first astronaut to have accomplished the feat for a second time.

Chinese astronauts Tang Hongbo (right), Tang Shengjie (centre) and Jiang Xinlin are seen off at the launch centre on Thursday. The Long March 2F rocket carrying their ship took off at 11.14am. Photo: Xinhua

“I came from the countryside, and now I am a taikonaut,” Tang Hongbo said during a press conference with the astronauts on Wednesday. He said going back to the station had been his dream since he left in 2021.

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