China launched the rocket on Thursday that carries its three astronauts to its new space station in China, under construction for a first three-month mission, which embodies the hopes “of the people and of the (communist) party.” The Long March-2F rocket lifted off with the three astronauts at 0922 local time (01:22 GMT), amid a cloud of smoke, from the Jiquan launch center in the Gobi desert in northwest China.

After about 10 minutes it reached orbit and the spacecraft separated from the rocket, amid loud applause in the control room.

This mission will be the first time in almost five years that China has launched a manned space flight, which will constitute a record for the Asian giant.

State broadcaster CCTV broadcast live from inside the spacecraft, where the three astronauts raised their helmet visors to show their faces, one of them smiling and waving at the camera.

Cameras outside the spacecraft showed live images of Earth in the distance.

“According to reports from the Beijing Space Control Center, the Long March-2F rocket sent the manned Shenzhou-12 spacecraft into orbit,” said Zhang Zhifen, director of the Jiquan satellite launch center.

“The solar panels were successfully deployed and we now declare Shenzhou-12 a complete success,” he added.

In a pre-takeoff ceremony, the three astronauts in their space suits greeted a group of supporters and workers from the space center, who sang a patriotic song that reads: “Without the Chinese Communist Party, there would be no new China.

The mission commander is Nie Haisheng, a decorated People’s Liberation Army pilot, who has been on two space missions. The other two crew members are also military.

In the midst of a context of tensions with the West, the success of this mission is a matter of prestige for Beijing, which is preparing to celebrate the centenary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), on July 1.

Space life

The astronauts will stay in Tianhe, the only module of the station that was placed on April 29 in low Earth orbit (350-390 km high).

On board, they will be dedicated to maintenance work, installations, exits to space, preparation of future missions and the next stays of other crew members.

The module has a space for each of them, exercise equipment and a communication center for email and video calls with the ground control.

Huang Weifen of the China Manned Space Program said the astronauts will take two spacewalks during the mission, each lasting between six and seven hours.

He explained that on the walks they will wear recently developed spacesuits.

The trio performed more than 6,000 hours of training, including somersaults in a swimming pool in spacesuits, to get used to outings for rides in weightlessness.

“We fight every minute to fulfill our space dream,” said Liu Boming, another member of the crew. “I trained by dedicating myself to the cause,” he added.

In their capsule, the three military men will be able to choose between 120 foods at meals and train on a treadmill to keep fit.

The Shenzhou-12 mission is the third launch of the 11 that will be required for the construction of the station, between 2021 and 2022. Four of those missions will be manned.

Scientific investigation

In addition to Tianhe, which is already in orbit, the two remaining modules – which will be laboratories for biotechnology, medicine and astronomy – will be sent into space next year.

Upon completion, the station will have a mass of around 90 tons and is expected to have a lifespan of at least 10 years, according to the Chinese space agency.

The Chinese interest in having its own human base in Earth orbit was fueled by the American ban on its astronauts being on the ISS.

The latter – a collaboration between the United States, Russia, Canada, Europe and Japan – is due to be withdrawn in 2024, although NASA says it could potentially remain in place beyond 2028.

“We are ready to cooperate with any country that is committed to the peaceful use of space,” a senior CMSA official, Ji Qiming, told reporters.