China successfully launches mission sending astronauts to space station

ANKARA (AA) - China on Thursday successfully launched three astronauts into space, state-run media said.

The Shenzhou-12 manned spacecraft was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert in southwest China's Gansu Province, daily Global Times reported.

The astronauts on board -- Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming, and Tang Hongbo -- will spend three months on the Tiangong station.

The trio was selected from China's first and second batch of astronauts. They will carry out tasks including, repair and maintenance, appliance switch, and scientific operation of payloads during their stay.

This is the first time in nearly five years that China has sent astronauts into space. This is the first crewed flight mission and third leg of the country's 11 space launch missions of the intensive space station construction phase.

In April, China launched the core module for the T-shaped space station as it eyes its completion by next year.

On the successful launch of the module on April 29, Chinese President Xi Jinping said China's space station construction had entered the full implementation stage, laying a solid foundation for the follow-up tasks.

The space station has a designed lifespan of 10 years, but appropriate maintenance and repairs could extend its life to more than 15 years.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid