China sends civilian astronauts to space station

This is the first time China has sent a civilian astronaut into orbit. The spacecraft separated from the rocket 10 minutes after launch and entered its designated orbit. Shenzhou 16 will dock with the space station and the new crew will stay there for 5 months, conducting various scientific experiments.

The Shenzhou 15 crew, who have been in Tiangong for half a year, will return to Earth in a few days. Shenzhou 16 is the first manned mission since Tiangong was completed and entered the "application and development" phase last year. The Shenzhou 17 mission is scheduled to launch in October. China plans to conduct two such missions each year.