China has sent a team of three astronauts to its space station in an ambitious goal to become a space power and rival the dominance of Nasa in the US.
Beijing has spent billions of dollars into what President Xi has described as the nation’s “space dream” in recent years.
The all-male trio were sent off with huge fanfare in the remote northwestern desert of the country on Thursday.
The team will work on the station for six months, carrying out experiments and installing protective equipment to maintain the station from space debris.
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