China launches new mission to space station
China sent a fresh crew to its Tiangong space station on Thursday, in the latest mission for a growing space programme that plans to send people to the moon by 2030. The Shenzhou-17 blasted off from the Jiuquan launch site in arid northwest China at 11.14am, carrying a three-astronaut team with the youngest average age since the space station's construction. A send-off ceremony on Thursday morning saw the taikonauts bid farewell to observers before heading off to prepare for the launch. "The spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China," news agency Xinhua reported. About 10 minutes after the launch, the Shenzhou-17 spaceship separated from the rocket and entered its designated orbit.  After entering orbit, Shenzhou-17 will make a fast, automated rendezvous and dock with Tiangong.  Captaining the team is Tang Hongbo, who is on his first return mission to the space station. Accompanying him are Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin, both in their thirties and each making their maiden space voyages. The China Manned Space Agency said they will perform various in-orbit space science and application payload tests and experiments. Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the CMSA, said they will carry out extravehicular activities, install extravehicular payloads and conduct space station maintenance and other tasks. The all-male crew has an average age of 38, compared to 42 for the crew of Shenzhou-16 when it launched. Members of the previous Shenzhou-16 crew – aboard Tiangong for nearly five months now – are currently preparing to receive the trio before returning to Earth next week. Tiangong, the crown jewel of Beijing's space programme, is constantly crewed by rotating teams of three astronauts. (AFP/Xinhua)