China’s Shenzhou-13 docks at space station for longest mission

Three taikonauts blasted off shortly after midnight from the Jiuquan launch centre in northwestern China’s Gobi desert.

Three Chinese taikonauts successfully docked with China’s new space station, state media said, on what is set to be Beijing’s longest crewed mission to date and the latest landmark in its drive to become a major space power.

The three blasted off shortly after midnight on Saturday (16:00 GMT Friday) from the Jiuquan launch centre in northwestern China’s Gobi desert, state-run news agency Xinhua said, with the team expected to spend six months at the Tiangong space station.

After the launch, the China Manned Space Agency declared it a success and said the crew members “were in good shape”, according to Xinhua.