China launches three astronauts to complete space station

The six-month mission, commanded by Fei Junlong and crewed by Deng Qingming and Zhang Lu, will be the last in the construction phase of China’s space station, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

The Long March-5B Y4 carrier rocket (Hu Zhixuan/Xinhua via AP)

China has launched a rocket carrying three astronauts to complete construction of the country’s permanent orbiting space station.

The crew of the Shenzhou-15 will overlap for several days with the three-member crew already onboard the Tiangong station, who will then return to Earth after their six-month mission.