China's Shenzhou-21 astronauts blast off for space station

Quelle: AFP (Glomex)

The Long March-2F rocket carrying three astronauts to the Tiangong space station lifts off at 11:44 pm (1544 GMT) from the remote Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China. The Shenzhou-21 mission crew includes the country's youngest ever astronaut and four lab mice. China has bold plans to send a crewed mission to the Moon by the end of the decade and eventually to build a base on the lunar surface. IMAGES