A historic first for the country’s space program.
VCG/Visual China Group/Getty Images
After the launch of Tiangong space station’s core module in April, China took on its next challenge: send astronauts to live there.
The first crewed mission, Shenzhou-12, successfully docked at Tiangong Wednesday night.
CCTV/CNSA Watcher via YouTube
On board are 3 astronauts, who will stay at the station for 3 months. It’s the longest stay in space for any Chinese national.
But the historic mission marks the christening of the only other space station in low-Earth orbit and a new chapter for China’s space program.
CGTN
Shutterstock
Read more stories about science here.