China successfully launches new manned spaceship with first civilian on board
The Hindu
China successfully launched the Shenzhou-16 manned spaceship, sending three astronauts, including the first civilian to its space station
China on Tuesday successfully launched the Shenzhou-16 manned spaceship, sending three astronauts, including the first civilian to its space station combination for a five-month mission.
The spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China at 9:31 AM (Beijing Time), according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
About 10 minutes after the launch, Shenzhou-16 separated from the rocket and entered its designated orbit. The crew members are in good shape and the launch is a complete success, the CMSA declared, it said.
The astronauts are expected to dock with the station’s Tianhe core module about 400km above the ground – after a journey of less than seven hours.
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For the first time, China has included a civilian in its rotating crew for the space station which otherwise remained a domain of the military personnel.
Gui Haichao, a professor at Beihang University in Beijing regarded as a payload specialist was among the three astronauts.
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