On April 25th, the Shenzhou-18 spacecraft, carrying a trio of taikonauts, embarked on a mission to the Tiangong space station after launching from the Jiuquan Spaceport on the edge of China's Gobi Desert. Commanded by the veteran space traveler Ye Guangfu, and accompanied by first-time flyers Li Cong and Li Guangsu, the crew successfully docked with the orbiting station approximately six and a half hours post-launch.
This team of taikonauts, replacing the incumbent Shenzhou-17 crew due to return to Earth on April 30, will oversee the station's operations over the next six months. Their. . .
