Three crew members of Shenzhou XX mission, China's 15th manned spaceflight, got off the ground at 5:17 pm on Thursday as their spaceship's carrier, a 20-story-tall Long March 2F rocket, soared into skies from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern Gobi Desert.
The astronauts – mission commander Senior Colonel Chen Dong, Colonel Chen Zhongrui and Colonel Wang Jie, all from the People's Liberation Army Astronaut Division – are expected to arrive at the Tiangong space station early on Friday morning, joining their peers in the Shenzhou XIX who have been in orbit for nearly six months.
The spacecraft is programmed to fly about 10 minutes before crossing the Karman line, at an altitude of 100 kilometers above sea level, which is the start of outer space and the threshold for orbital flight.
After that, the Shenzhou XX spacecraft will soon separate from the rocket and activate the rapid autonomous rendezvous-docking mode.
According to its docking program, the spacecraft would spend about six-and-a-half hours to approach and connect with the front port of the Tianhe core module.
Following the docking, the Shenzhou XX crew would use a certain period of time on preparatory work, such as putting off their pressure suit and wearing the intravehicular work suit, to make ready for their entry into the space station.
Meanwhile, the outgoing Shenzhou XIX team would wait inside the connection cabin to welcome their peers.
After all preparations are done, Cai's team would open a hatch in the connection cabin to let the arriving trio float in.
The two teams will stay together for approximately four days for transition work, after which the Shenzhou XIX astronauts will depart and return to Earth on Tuesday, according to mission planners.
READ MORE: Crew list finalized for Shenzhou XX, Shenzhou XXI manned missions
The Shenzhou XX crew is conducting China's 15th manned spaceflight and will become the ninth group of residents aboard the Tiangong, which is currently the only operational space station independently run by a single nation.
During their six-month orbital stay, Chen Dong and his teammates will perform various tasks such as conducting scientific experiments and technological demonstrations, performing spacewalks to install space debris shielding equipment, experimental instruments and other external devices, retrieving devices from outside the space station, and engaging in science lectures and other activities for public benefit.
