China has sent 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 2030. The Shenzhou-16 crew took off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China and docked at the space station’s Tianhe core module on Tuesday afternoon. The launch was a “complete success” and the “astronauts are in good condition,” said Zou Lipeng, director of the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The crew will carry out a number of experiments during the mission, including in “high-precision space time-frequency systems,” general relativity, and into the origin of life. China’s “space dream” has been put into overdrive under President Xi Jinping, and the construction of a moon base is planned.
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