China launches historic Shenzhou-13 crewed mission with 3 astronauts for 6 months

Three Chinese astronauts, including a woman, on board the Shenzhou-13, have entered the space station core module Tianhe, the country’s space agency said, hours after the spaceship was successfully launched for a record six-month mission.

The members of the crew includes Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping, and Ye Guanfu, who will spend the time in space testing the station’s technology and conducting spacewalks.

The three astronauts — Zhai Zhigang, 55; Wang Yaping, 41; and Ye Guangfu, 41 — successfully docked with the under-construction space station, which is composed of the core module Tianhe and the cargo crafts Tianzhou-2 and Tianzhou-3.

Wang Yaping is China’s first female astronaut on board the space station. The Shenzhou-13 crewed spaceship was launched by a Long March 2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert, located in Inner Mongolia.