China Launches Astronauts on Six-Month Space Station Mission
Mission could set record for length of time spent in space by Chinese astronauts
Chinese astronauts wave during a see-off ceremony at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, Gansu Province, China, on Oct. 15, 2021.
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Beijing (AP) -- China's Shenzhou-13 spacecraft carrying three Chinese astronauts docked Saturday at its space station, kicking off a record-setting six-month stay as the country moves toward completing the new orbiting outpost.
The spacecraft was launched by a Long March-2F rocket at 12:23 a.m. Saturday and docked with the Tianhe core module of the Tiangong space station at 6:56 a.m., approximately six and a half hours later.