Three Chinese astronauts blast off for Tiangong space station

Shenzhou-20 space mission astronauts Chen Zhongrui (centre), Chen Dong (right) and Wang Jie, during the seeing-off ceremony at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre near Jiuquan, China. - Photo: EPA-EFE

JIUQUAN, (China): A Chinese rocket carrying three astronauts to the country’s space station blasted off from its remote launch site on Thursday (April 24), the latest milestone in Beijing’s race to become a leading celestial power.

Beijing has pumped billions of dollars into its space programme in recent years in an effort to achieve what President Xi Jinping describes as the Chinese people’s “space dream”.