China on Tuesday launched (发射) the Shenzhou-16 manned spaceship, sending three astronauts to its space station combination for a five-month mission. The spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 9:31 a. m. (Beijing Time), according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
About 10 minutes after the launch, Shenzhou-16 separated from the rocket and entered its designated orbit (轨道). The three astronauts are in good shape and the launch is a complete success, the CMSA declared.
The Shenzhou-16 astronauts will conduct a great many in-orbit tests and experiments in various fields as planned. They are expected to make high-level scientific achievements in the study of novel quantum phenomenon (新奇量子现象), high-precision space time-frequency systems and the origin of life.
Jing Haipeng, Zhu Yangzhu and Gui Haichao will see the dockings of the Tianzhou-5 cargo craft and the Shenzhou-17 manned spaceship, as well as the departures of the Shenzhou-15 manned spaceship and Tianzhou-5.
It is the first manned task for the application and development stage of China's-space station, and the 29th flight since the country's manned space program was approved (批准). The launch also marks the 475th flight of the Long March carrier rocket series.
