Science News Roundup: Major milestones in Chinese space exploration; Chinese astronauts board space station module in historic mission and more

The crew boarded the module, where they will live for three months, the longest stay in low-Earth orbit by any Chinese national. Major milestones in Chinese space exploration China launched a spacecraft on Thursday carrying three astronauts to the main module of the country's space station, its first crewed mission in nearly five years.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Chinese astronauts board space station module in historic mission

Three Chinese astronauts on Thursday flew to an unfinished space station in China's first crewed mission since 2016, expanding the country's already growing near-Earth presence and challenging U.S. leadership in orbital space. The astronauts rode to Tianhe - the module that will be the living quarters of China's completed space station - on Shenzhou-12, or "Divine Vessel". The crew boarded the module, where they will live for three months, the longest stay in low-Earth orbit by any Chinese national.

Major milestones in Chinese space exploration

China launched a spacecraft on Thursday carrying three astronauts to the main module of the country's space station, its first crewed mission in nearly five years. China's first full-fledged space station is still under construction. When completed, it will be the only rival to the International Space Station (ISS) backed by the United States, Japan and Russia. China has never participated in the ISS.