adminShenzhou-10, atop an upgraded Long March-2F carrier rocket, blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in north-west China late on Tuesday afternoon and entered its designated orbit minutes later.
A see-off ceremony was held at the centre hours before the launch. Chinese President Xi Jinping, who just returned from his visit to the United States, attended the ceremony and extended good wishes to the three astronauts.
“The mission’s members carry a space dream of the Chinese nation, and represents the lofty aspirations of the Chinese people to explore space,” said Xi, who watched the launch process in Jiuquan.
In its 15-day journey, the spacecraft will dock with the orbiting space lab Tiangong-1 twice, once through automatic operation and the other manual, and a lecture will for the first time be given on board of the assembled orbiter to a group of students on the ground. This mission aims to further test technologies of docking and supporting astronauts’ stay in space. — Xinhua.
Online Reporter