China launches new crew to its space station as it seeks to expand exploration

Chinese astronauts Wang Haoze, from left, Cai Xuzhe and Song Lingdong wave as they attend the see-off ceremony for the Shenzhou-19 mission at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwestern China (Ng Han Guan/AP)

China has launched a new three-person crew to its orbiting space station as the country seeks to expand its exploration of outer space with missions to the Moon and beyond.

China built its own space station after being excluded from the International Space Station, mainly because of US concerns over the People’s Liberation Army, the Chinese Communist Party’s military arm’s overall control over the space programme.