Expected To Be On Board 30 Days Before Returning To Earth

Two Chinese astronauts began a month-long stay in space aboard the Tiangong space station with their launch from the Gobi desert Monday morning (U.S. time).

Fox News reports that the Shenzhou 11 spacecraft was boosted into orbit by a Long March-2F rocket. It is China's sixth manned mission, and the longest planned by the Chinese space agency.

The crew, comprised of Jing Haipeng, who is flying his third mission, and 37-year-old Chen Dong, is expected to dock with the station after two days, and be aboard about 30 days, and Jing will celebrate his 50th birthday in orbit.

China recently opened a new launch facility in Wenchang on the island province of Hainan.

The country is planning a second space station, Tiangong 2, for which it hopes to attract international partners. China has been excluded from the International Space Station program because of its space program's perceived military nature.

Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a message of congratulations following the successful launch of the Shenzhou-11 manned spacecraft.

In a news release, Xi expressed congratulations and greetings to all researchers and staff engaged in the mission as well as the astronauts.

The mission of the orbiting space lab Tiangong-2 and the Shenzhou-11 manned spacecraft marks the first time that Chinese astronauts will stay in orbit for medium term, Xi said in the message.

Tasks of space science and application representing the frontier science and the future of high technology will be conducted during the mission, which Xi said symbolizes that China's manned space program has registered new and significant progresses.
Xi encouraged the staff of the mission to "constantly break new ground for the manned space program, so that Chinese people will take bigger steps and march further in space probe, to make new contribution to the building of China into a space power."

(Image provided by China's Xinhua News Agency)

FMI: http://www.cnsa.gov.cn/n6443408/index.html