China launched its Shenzhou-16 spacecraft crewed by three astronauts on Tuesday, the China Manned House Company stated in an announcement, declaring the launch a “full success.”

The company stated the Lengthy March 2F rocket carrying the spaceship took off from the Jiuquan Satellite tv for pc Launch Middle within the Gobi Desert shortly after 9:30 a.m. native time.

The spacecraft is heading to China’s area station and can relieve the crew of Shenzhou-15, who’ve been residing there since November.

The Shenzhou-16 crew will conduct scientific experiments and upkeep on area station tools, stated CMSA.

Tuesday’s launch marks China’s fifth crewed mission to its area station because it first despatched astronauts in 2021.

Lately, China has ramped up its efforts in area exploration and analysis. A CMSA official stated China goals to launch a crewed mission to the moon by 2030, in response to state media.