BEIJING: Three new astronauts have reached China’s Tiangong space station, German Press Agency (dpa) reported, citing footage published by state media on Monday.
The Shenzhou 23 spacecraft had blasted off on Sunday from the Jiuquan Space Centre in northwestern China on a Long March 2F launch vehicle, according to state media.
On board were the three astronauts – known in China as taikonauts – Zhu Yangzhu, Zhang Zhiyuan, and Li Jiaying. According to the Chinese space agency CMSA, Li is the first person from Hong Kong to take part in a Chinese space mission.
The crew is set to replace the current crew at the space station, comprising Zhang Lu, Wu Fei, and Zhang Hongzhang.
For the first time, a Chinese astronaut is also set to remain in space for around a year. During the mission in orbit a decision will be made about which member of the new crew will be selected for this role.
China aims to use the extended stay to investigate how long-term missions in space affect the human body.
The mission is part of the regular crew rotation on the Chinese space station. According to authorities, the crew now being replaced has already spent 203 days in space and is therefore likely to set a record for the longest single mission duration by a Chinese astronaut crew. – BERNAMA-dpa
