China launches first crewed mission for space station construction

Three Chinese astronauts aboard the Shenzhou-12 spaceship have entered the country's space station core module Tianhe, dedicating to four major tasks in the in-orbit construction of the station in the following three months. -- With a maximum diameter of 4.2 meters, Tianhe is more spacious than a train or subway carriage, providing astronauts with six zones for work, sleep, sanitation, dining, healthcare and exercise. -- After the five launch missions this year, China plans to have six more missions, including the launch of the Wentian and Mengtian lab modules, two cargo spacecraft and two crewed spaceships, in 2022 to complete the construction of the space station.