China has sent two astronauts into space on a mission to dock with an experimental space station and remain aboard for 30 days in preparation for the start of operations in six years. China's Tiangong-1 space station 'out of control' and will crash to Earth Read moreIt will dock with the Tiangong 2 space station precursor facility within two days, conduct experiments in medicine and various space-related technologies, and test systems and processes in preparation for the launching of the station’s core module in 2018. Space program commander-in-chief Gen. Zhang Youxia declared the launch a success at 7:46am (2346 GMT). “It is any astronaut’s dream and pursuit to be able to perform many space missions,” Jing, who turns 50 during his time in space, told a briefing Sunday. China was prevented from participating in the International Space Station, mainly due to US concerns over the Chinese space program’s strongly military character.

Source: The Guardian October 17, 2016 01:59 UTC