China launches Shenzhou-20 manned spaceship

China successfully launched the Shenzhou-20 crewed spaceship on Thursday, sending three astronauts to its orbiting space station for a six-month mission.

The spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.

About 10 minutes after the launch, the spaceship separated from the rocket and entered its designated orbit. The astronauts are in good condition, and the launch of the Shenzhou-20 crewed spaceship is a complete success, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

The Shenzhou-20 crew, consisting of mission commander Chen Dong, and astronauts Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie, will undertake a range of tasks, including space science experiments, application tests, extravehicular activities, and cargo handling.