China has launched three astronauts, including the first civilian, to its Tiangong space station as part of its plans to send a crewed mission to the Moon by the end of the decade. The Shenzhou-16 crew took off atop a Long March 2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China. The launch was a “complete success” and the “astronauts are in good condition”, said Zou Lipeng, director of the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The Shenzhou craft will dock at the space station’s Tianhe core module. The crew will then meet their three colleagues from the Shenzhou-15 flight, who have been at the station for six months and will return to Earth in the coming days.
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