Xi lauds 'new horizon' for humanity in space chat with astronauts

A TV broadcasts Shenzhou-12 spacecraft docking with Tiangong station, where three of China's astronauts are on a three months mission. — AFP

President Xi Jinping on Wednesday lauded the work of three astronauts building China's first space station as opening "new horizons" in humanity's bid to explore the cosmos.

The trio blasted off on a Long March-2F rocket from northwest China's Gobi desert last Thursday, docking around seven hours later at the Tiangong space station, where they will spend the next three months.