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China has sent three astronauts to its Tiangong space station under construction. The launch was broadcast by China Central Television.
The astronauts went to the station aboard the Shenzhou 13 manned spacecraft. The launch took place at 0:23 local time (19:23 Moscow time) from the Jiuquan cosmodrome, which is located in northwestern China in the Gansu province.
The crew includes Zhai Zhigang, who in 2008 became the first Chinese to go into outer space. The female astronaut Wang Yaping went with him, she also visited space in 2013. The third was Ye Guangfu, for him this is the first flight in his career.
It is planned that the crew of “Shenzhou-13” will spend at least 180 days at the station.
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