China launches Shenzhou-17 manned spacecraft to its space station

China has launched the Shenzhou-17 spacecraft with three taikonauts to its national space station, according to a live broadcast on China’s Central Television.

The spaceship was launched by a CZ-2F/G two-stage carrier rocket at 11:14 a.m. Beijing time (6:14 a.m. Moscow time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China.

This is China’s 12th manned space mission.

The taikonauts - Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie, and Jiang Xinlin - are expected to return to the Earth in April 2024.

The spaceship will dock to the space station in six and a half hours after reaching orbit.