China's Shenzhou-13 spacecraft docks for 6-month mission

The crew will do three spacewalks to install equipment in preparation for expanding the station; assess living conditions in the Tianhe module and conduct experiments in space medicine and other fields

China's Shenzhou-13 spacecraft carrying three Chinese astronauts docked on October 16 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. on October 16 and docked with the Tianhe core module of the Tiangong space station at 6:56 a.m., approximately six and a half hours later.

The two men and one woman are the second crew to move into the space station, which was launched last April. The first crew stayed three months.