Veteran taikonaut, 2 rookies launched to Chinese space station
Three Chinese taikonauts took off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on Thursday, taking off after the Tiangong Space Station to replace three long-term crew members which conclude a six-month stay in space.
With veteran At the age of 43, the Long March 2F rocket roared smoothly to life at 8:59 a.m. EDT (8:59 p.m. Beijing time). climbed away on a south-westerly trajectory that matched the station's track.
The flight plan called for Ye and his crew members to monitor an automated rendezvous six and a half hours after takeoff and dock at Tiangong Station, where they ...