Shenzhou-20 crewed spaceship docks with China's space station

The Shenzhou-20 crewed spacecraft successfully docked with the radial port of the space station core module Tianhe at 11:49 pm Beijing Time on Thursday, with the entire docking process lasted about 6.5 hours, according to China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

According to the mission plan, the three taikonauts aboard Shenzhou-20 will later enter the space station core module Tianhe. The Shenzhou-19 crew has made full preparations to welcome the new crew aboard the space station.

The Shenzhou-20 crewed spaceship blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China, atop the Long March-2F carrier rocket on 5:17 pm on Thursday, carrying taikonauts Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie to China's space station.

Following a flight of around 10 minutes, Shenzhou-20 manned spacecraft successfully separated from the rocket and entered its designated orbit.  

The launch day of Shenzhou-20 also coincides with China's 10th Space Day. China designated April 24 as its Space Day in 2016 to mark the successful launch of its first satellite, Dongfanghong-1, on April 24, 1970.

The mission's primary objectives include completing an in-orbit rotation with the Shenzhou-19 crew, staying at the space station for approximately six months, carrying out experiments in space science and applications and performing extravehicular activities and cargo in and out tests.

Shenzhou-20 is the 35th flight mission of China's manned space program, and the fifth crewed mission during the application and development stage of China's space station. The crew is scheduled to return to the Dongfeng landing site in North China in late October this year.