China on Tuesday successfully launched its fifth and longest manned space mission with three astronauts, including a woman, on board ‘Shenzhou-10’ as part of the Communist giant’s efforts to build a permanent space lab of its own by 2020.
Watched by President Xi Jinping, Shenzhou-10 (Divine Craft) spaceship carrying the three astronauts blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite launch Centre in Gansu province for a 15-day-long mission during which it would dock with Tiangong-1 space lab orbiting round the Earth and conduct a host of experiments.
The text-book launch of Shenzhou-10, atop an upgraded long March-2F carrier rocket, was telecast live. China’s Shenzhou-10 spacecraft, with three astronauts on board, entered its designated orbit.