China planned to launch its own space station in 2023. As a preparation, it successfully sent two of its astronauts into space to run series of experiments on Monday, Oct. 17.
The Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre blasted off the Long March-2F rocket at 11:30 p.m. GMT on the country's Gobi Desert. General Zhang Youxia, China's space program commander, announced the success of the launch 16 minutes after blast-off.
President Xi Jinping then sent a congratulatory message through Defense Minister Fan Changlong telling their astronauts to explore and examine space "more deeply and more broadly".
The astronauts launched into space were Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong. Jing Haipeng, 49, a veteran, has been to space two times before commanding the Shenzou-11 mission in 2008 and 2012 with the Shenzou-7 and Shenzou-9 missions respectively.
Chen Dong, his crewmate, is a pilot in the air force of China. These two astronauts will test different machines and perform experiments in medicine as preparation for the launch in 2018 of China's station core module. They are scheduled to stay for 30 days in space - the longest duration Chinese astronauts would have been.
China Enters Space Race
In two days, it is expected that a small precursor space station, either the Tiangong-2 or the Heavenly Palace-2, will let the rocket dock. Following USA and Russia, China is the third country to send astronauts into space and is adding more effort to explore space.
Chinese astronauts are not permitted to set foot in the International Space Station because of Obama's fear of China's drive for space exploration bearing military purposes. This resulted in China scheduling to launch its own floating laboratory in space in six years.
China National Space Administration (CNSA) sees the launch of their own space station as a stepping stone to someday send their own astronauts to the Moon and Mars.
