In order to get the country closer to constructing its new Space Station, China successfully launched 3 astronauts on Thursday.

On this local time in the morning, the Shenzhou-12, or Divine Vessel was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the northwest Chinese Gobi Desert on a Long March-2F carrier rocket.

The Mission sends the crew to the core module of its projected space station called "The Tiangong" or "The Heavenly Palace."

According to State broadcaster CCTV, the spaceship will dock the core module around six and a half hours after launch. During the crew, the service support and maintenance system will be tested for three months.

The first crewed mission and the third launch is the Shenzhou-12 mission of a total of 11 missions for the construction of China's space station.
In nearly five years, this was also China's first busy mission.

Two spacewalks are held during the course of the three months by two astronauts. Following this voyage, the Space Station will be sent another three crewed ships and two laboratory modules in order to be constructed by the end of 2022.

The crew of 3

The space agency in China has unveiled the three-man crew line-up on Wednesday. The expedition is directed by the eldest team member, Nie Haisheng, and the PLA veteran fighter pilot.

In 1998, when Nie was recruited for the space program, she nearly became the first Chinese man in space. He was one of three astronauts, although Yang Liwei would eventually have that distinction.

The launch on Monday marks Nie's third voyage into space, as he took China's maiden mission to test its docking technologies with more than one astronaut in 2005 and in 2013.

Nie stated he had called his daughter Tianxiang in the 2015 interview with CNN, which means "flying to heaven."

When Nie was 41 years old – on his first space visit - his daughter sang to him from the control of the mission "good birthday."

Liu Boming, the 2nd oldest member of the team, joined China's space mission in 2008, helping Zhai Zhigang to become the Chinese first spacewalk astronaut.

According to the state-run Global Times, he is likely to play a key role during external cabin operations.

Despite 11 years of training, according to state-related media, the youngest crew member, Tang Hongbo, is the only one of three that must journey to space.

The Global Times claimed that the period of the mission corresponds with the 100th anniversary of the Party, an important national event for July 1. All three are members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Missions in international space

More than 200 astronauts from 19 different countries – but not China – have been accommodated in the international space station (ISS).

Astronauts are shut out of the ISS because of US political reservations and legal constraints, thus China has long been committed to building its own station.

Russia also exited the project and now plans to start a space station of its own by 2030, as a long-term contributor to the ISS.

In the past decade, China has grown its space program fast, with scientists having successfully landing exploration rovers on the moon in December and on Mars in May in the previous seven months alone.

In April, the first space station module was successfully launched. The station must be erected at different times from several components that are launched. The station is projected to run for 10 years if finished correctly.

With Russia leaving the Chinese ISS and with the lack of funding by the ISS in the next few years, and unequaled age of global spatial collaboration would likely end. Russia's move away from the Chinese ISS.

But Nie, head of the Shenzhou-12 mission, in 2015, told CNN he was willing to join other countries in the process, and the Chinese government's preceding remarks were echoed by foreign astronauts visiting the China Space Station.

"As an astronaut, I want to fly space missions from different countries with astronauts," stated Nie. "And the International Space Station is waiting for me."