All set for long space stay

Gravitating towards success: (from left) Ye, Zhai and Wang waving as they prepare to embark on a record-setting six-month stay in space. — AP

BEIJING: Three astronauts successfully docked with China’s new space station, on what is set to be Beijing’s longest crewed mission to date and the latest landmark in its drive to become a major space power.

The three blasted off shortly after midnight on Friday from the Jiuquan launch centre in northwestern China’s Gobi desert, the China Manned Space Agency said, with the team expected to spend six months at the Tiangong space station.