China launches three-member Shenzhou-18 crew to its space station

A Long March rocket carrying a crew of Chinese astronauts in a Shenzhou-18 spaceship (Andy Wong/AP)

China has launched a three-member crew to its orbiting space station as part of its ambitious programme that aims to put astronauts on the Moon by 2030.

The Shenzhou-18 spacecraft lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre on the edge of the Gobi Desert in north-western China atop a Long March 2-F rocket at 8.59pm local time.