Beijing: China On Saturday launched a three-month crew for a six-month mission above the space station planned in setting a new record for a period of time spent in space by Chinese astronauts because the country moves to complete orbit structures.
Shenzhou-13 spaceship carries three astronauts launched by a long March-2F rocket at 12:25 a.m.
Saturday (4225 GMT Friday).
It is expected to complete the docking with the Tianhe module in the next six hours, starting a mission that will continue the crew work of the first three people to spend 90 days on board.
The crew member did two spacecraft and mobilized a 10 meter mechanical arm (33 feet) before returning to earth in mid-September.
The new crew includes two veterans of space travel.
Pilot Zhai Zhigang, 55, and Wang Yaping, 41, the only woman in the mission, and Ye Guangfu, 41, who made her first trip into space.
The crew seen by military bands and supporters sing “ ode to Motherland, ” underlined the weight of the national pride invested in the Chinese Space Program that has advanced rapidly in recent years.
The activities scheduled for the crew covered up to three spacecraft to install equipment in preparation to expand the station, assessing the conditions of life in modules and experimenting in spaces and other fields.
The Chinese military space program plans to send many crews to the station for the next two years to make it fully functional.
Shenzhou-13 is the fifth mission for the structure, including trips without crew to provide inventory.
When equipped with the addition of two modules again _ named Mertian and Wentian _ The station will weigh around 66 tons, a small portion of the size of the International Space Station, which launched its first module in 1998 and will have around 450 tons when finished.
Two additional Chinese modules will be launched before the end of next year during the Shenzhou-14 crew stay named.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday renewed its commitment to cooperation with other countries in the use of peaceful space.
Spokesman Zhao Lijian said sending human beings into space is the general cause of mankind, “and China will continue to extend the depth and extent of international cooperation and exchange of ” in spaceflight space and` make a positive contribution to the exploration of mystery universe.
“China was removed from the International Space Station mostly due to US objections to the secret nature of the Chinese program and close military ties, encouraging it to launch two experimental modules before starting from a permanent station.
Law u.s.
Requires Congress approval for contact between American and Chinese space programs, but China works with spacecrafts from countries including France, Sweden, Russia and Italy.
Chinese officials said they looked forward to accommodating astronauts from other countries on the space station were so fully functional.
China has launched seven crew missions with a total of 14 astronauts above 2003, when it became only the third country after the former Soviet Union and the United States to put someone alone.
Two Chinese astronauts have flown twice.
Along with the crew mission, China has expanded its work on lunar and Mars exploration, including placing explorers on the far side of the month explored and restoring the moonstone to Earth for the first time since the 1970s.
China this year also landed the Tianwen-1 room probe on Mars, which accompanied Zhurong Rover had explored evidence of life on the red planet.
Other Chinese space programs require collecting land from asteroids and restore additional lunar samples.
China has also expressed the aspirations to land people on the moon and may build a scientific base there, although no timeline was proposed for the projects.
A very secret spacecraft was also reported being developed.