China moved a step closer towards its mission of establishing a permanent space station by the year 2022 as it launched a spacecraft carrying two astronauts for its longest-ever manned space mission on Monday. Being Beijing's third mission to space this year, the spectacular sight was telecasted live by the state-run China Central Television.
According to reports by The Hindu, Chinese astronauts Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong were blasted off into space by Shenzhou-11 at 7:30 a.m. local time from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northern China. It is expected to dock with the orbiting space lab Tiangong-2 in two days and the astronauts will stay in the lab for 30 days.
Thrilled about the journey into space, astronaut and commander of the mission, Jing said: "Although the job is challenging, risky and dangerous, there is nothing more I would rather do." It is his third spaceflight following his Shenzhou-7 mission in September 2008 and Shenzhou-9 mission in March 2012.
The novice astronaut, Chen, added that he would treasure every moment spent in space and ensure that he records his experience in his diary.
Reports by NDTV elucidate that the latest mission will provide valuable insights to further develop the country's space station plans. President Xi Jinping, in a congratulatory note, said: "We still have a long way to go to accomplish our goals of discovering the secrets of space and making China strong in space exploration."
In a quest to compete with U.S. and Europe, China is investing billions into its space program missions. It plans to launch its maiden Mars mission in 2020 to match India and other countries in the league.
The Shenzhou-11 spaceship will return to Earth within a day after docking the two astronauts on Tiangong-2 space lab and separating from it. The astronauts will cultivate plants in space, conduct aerospace medical experiments and space science experiments, reported The Hindu.
The Chinese began their international space mission in the early 1990s and their first astronaut was sent to space in 2003. With the International Space Station retiring in 2024, if China succeeds in its mission by 2022, it will be the only country boasting of an in-service manned space station.
Owing to China's rapid economic growth, we can expect China to race alongside the U.S. and Russia, making their mark in the development of space technology.
