Shenzhou-12: China successfully launches first three man crew to new space station, watch

On Thursday, June 17, China launched the first three astronauts to its new space station. It is China's longest crewed space mission to date and the first in nearly five years. Shenzhou-12 capsule successfully took off atop its Long March 2F rocket. Lift-off from the Jiuquan satellite launch centre in the Gobi desert was at 09:22 Beijing time.

The three-man crew- Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming, and Tang Hongbo, will spend three months aboard the Tianhe module some 380km (236 miles) above the Earth.

Purpose of the launch

The primary objective for Commander Nie Haishen and his team on the Shenzhou-12 mission is to bring the 22.5-tonne Tianhe module into service.

Nie Haisheng, who is said to be China's oldest astronaut in space, during a press conference on Wednesday said, "I have a lot of expectations".

Nie said, "We need to set up our new home in space and test a series of new technologies. So, the mission is tough and challenging. I believe with the three of us working closely together, doing thorough and accurate operations, we can overcome our challenges. We have the confidence to complete the mission."

The food, fuel, and equipment the astronauts will need during their stay aboard Tianhe were delivered by a robotic freighter in May.

China's space mission

Chian had gone alone in developing a space station, partially because it has been excluded from the International Space Station project. The US, which leads that partnership with Russia, Europe, Canada and Japan will not co-operate with the Asian nation in orbit.

Russia, which has shared technology in the past with China, has mentioned in the past the possibility of sending its cosmonauts.

At Wednesday's press conference, Ji Qiming, an assistant director with China's human spaceflight agency, said, "We welcome co-operation in this regard in general."

Ji Qiming added, "It is believed that, in the near future, after the completion of the Chinese space station, we will see Chinese and foreign astronauts fly and work together".

China's President Xi Jinping has backed the country's space endeavours. The Chinese state media has regularly cast the 'space dream as one step in the path to 'national rejuvenation'.

(With AP inputs)

(Image Credit: AP)