China launches crewed spacecraft to Chinese space station - state television

China on Tuesday sent three astronauts to its newly built space station for a six month-long mission, formally kicking off operation of the second permanently inhabited outpost in low-earth orbit after the NASA-led International Space Station.

The spacecraft Shenzhou-15, or "Divine Vessel", and its three passengers lifted off atop a Long March-2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi Desert in northwest China at 11:08 p.m. (1508 GMT), according to state television.