A Chinese spacecraft has been launched on a mission to the space station. The spacecraft, carrying a three-person crew, including China’s first female space engineer, successfully docked after a journey of over six hours. The crew will utilize the homegrown space station for a six-month stay to conduct experiments and spacewalks as Beijing gains experience and knowledge for its future mission to land someone on the Moon by 2030. Beijing hailed the launch of Shenzhou 19 as a “complete success” – one of the 100 launches China has planned in a record year of space exploration in an attempt to surpass its rival, the United States. The BBC was granted rare access to the Jiuquan Satellite launch center in Gansu, witnessing the spacecraft’s liftoff with flames shooting out of the rocket launcher, illuminating the Gobi Desert with a thunderous roar. Hundreds of people lined the streets, waving and cheering for the taikonauts as they embarked on their journey. President Xi Jinping’s vision of building China into a space power has been realized, with the country making significant progress in its space program.
