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 US 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.
China's space station, due to be finished by end-2022, will be the only alternative to the two-decade-old, US-led International Space Station (ISS), which may be retired in 2024.
