Chinese astronauts to begin mission to space station

China will send three astronauts to its now fully operational space station on Tuesday as part of a crew rotation in the fifth manned mission to the Chinese space outpost since 2021.

Astronauts Jing Haipeng, Zhu Yangzhu and Gui Haichao attend a press conference before the Shenzhou-16 spaceflight mission to China's space station, at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, near Jiuquan, Gansu province, China May 29, 2023. China Daily via REUTERS

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29 May 2023, 9:14 am

BEIJING (Reuters) - China will send three astronauts to its now fully operational space station on Tuesday as part of a crew rotation, in the fifth manned mission to the Chinese space outpost since 2021, the China Manned Space Agency announced on Monday.

The spacecraft Shenzhou-16 will lift off atop a Long March 2F rocket at 9:31 a.m (0131 GMT).

(Reporting by Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Christopher Cushing)