China's Tiangong Advances: New Astronaut Crew Enters Orbit

China launched three astronauts to its Tiangong space station via the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft, marking the 15th crewed flight in its expansive space program. The successful mission underscores China's growing influence in space exploration, with countries like Pakistan showing interest in collaborative ventures.

China's ambitious space program reached another milestone as three astronauts embarked on a mission to the Tiangong space station. This marks the 15th crewed spaceflight under China's long-standing Shenzhou program, initiated over three decades ago.

The astronauts were launched aboard the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft, which took off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre on a Long March-2F rocket. The launch occurred at 5:17 p.m. local time and was confirmed by state broadcaster CCTV. According to the China Manned Space Agency, the spacecraft successfully docked with the Tiangong space station later in the day.

As China's space endeavors gain international attention, countries such as Pakistan are keen to collaborate. Pakistan is in the process of selecting candidates for a future Shenzhou mission, potentially making history with the first foreign astronaut to visit China's space station.

(With inputs from agencies.)