China Launches Astronauts to New Space Station

China launched a rocket carrying three astronauts to its newly completed space station, Bloomberg reports.

There the astronauts are scheduled to spend the next six months working on projects aimed at fulfilling Beijing’s goal of creating a permanent Chinese presence in space.

Tuesday’s launch marked a breakthrough for the Chinese space agency, which for the first time sent a crewed mission into space during extremely cold conditions.

After being barred by the US from participating in the International Space Station, China has become the only country to operate its own orbiting station. But this is not a limit for the Chinese space agency, as it has many other ambitious plans, including sending astronauts from China to the moon.

Our astronauts will likely be able to go to the moon within 10 years,

Wu Weiran, chief designer of China’s lunar exploration program, said.