China Launches 3 Astronauts, Including First Woman, to Space Station

China on Friday night held a seeing-off ceremony for the three astronauts designated to carry out the country's Shenzhou-13 space flight mission.

Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, met with the three-member crew -- commander Zhai Zhigang and co-astronauts Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu -- at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center hours before the launch. He wished the mission a complete success.

The three Chinese astronauts then departed for the launch site after receiving orders from the commander-in-chief of China's manned space program Li Shangfu.

The astronauts reported to the commander-in-chief that they were ready to undertake the Shenzhou-13 mission.

The astronauts then got on a vehicle and departed for the launch site amid cheers from a gathered crowd of well-wishers.

The space mission will be commanded by the experienced astronaut Zhai Zhigang, who became the first Chinese astronaut to carry out a spacewalk back in 2008. Wang Yaping became China's second ever female astronaut as part of the Shenzhou-10 mission in 2013 and will be the first woman to work on the Tianhe core module, while Ye Guangfu is set to make his maiden spaceflight during this mission.

China is to launch the Shenzhou-13 crewed spaceship at 00:23 local time on Saturday (16:23 GMT on Friday) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China's Gansu Province.

After entering orbit, the Shenzhou-13 spaceship will conduct a fast-automated rendezvous and docking with the in-orbit space station core module Tianhe, forming a complex with the core module and the cargo crafts Tianzhou series. The astronauts aboard Shenzhou-13 will be stationed in the core module and remain in orbit for six months.

On Sept. 20, China launched cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-3 to deliver supplies for the Shenzhou-13 mission, including one extravehicular space suit for back-up, supplies for extravehicular activities, space station platform materials, payloads and propellants.

Currently, Tianzhou-3 and Tianzhou-2, another cargo craft previously launched, are docked at the two ends of the Tianhe core module to form a linear shape, waiting for the arrival of Shenzhou-13.

Bloomberg Quicktake brings you live global news and original shows spanning business, technology, politics and culture. Make sense of the stories changing your business and your world.

Connect with us on…

[texajp]

Keep rising China, salute from comrade in usa

[barrysoetoro]

If we all work together and not against each other ? We would already be visiting other galaxies Best of luck

[CrispyOkra]

That's one heck of a trick to ask Bob about his extended car warranty.

[danis]

The China Dream
is really "Alien Dream".

[HoorayTV]

Why does nobody mention that the shit is falling apart at launch?

[elon]

Done that 5 decades ago. This is just wasting money. Feeding homeless should be the priority