Three Chinese astronauts have arrived at the space station

Three Chinese astronauts have arrived at the space station China is building. They will stay for six months to help the set up of the station, as China is barred from the ISS. China expects to finish its space station by the end of 2022.

Three Chinese astronauts have arrived at China’s new space station for a six-month mission.

They arrived on Saturday morning in the Shenzhou-13 spacecraft, the China Manned Space Agency said. It said the crew “is in good condition and the launch is a complete success.”

China, barred from the International Space Station, is now building its own one, which it plans to have finished by the end of 2022.

The crew, Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping, and Ye Guanfu, is to stay for six months, which will be the longest mission to the station yet and will help in its set up.

Three Chinese astronauts returned from the station in September after a three-month mission. It was the first crew to fly to and from the station.

China aims to build a 66-ton Chinese Space Station, which is has named Tiangong, as Insider’s Morgan McFall-Johnsen previously reported.

Chinese astronauts were banned from the International Space Station (ISS) in 2011 by US lawmakers. The aging ISS may be out of commission by the 2030s.

The China Manned Space Agency said the crew will “carry out tasks such as mechanical arm operation, extravehicular activities, and modules transfer, to further verify a series of key technologies such as long-term residence in space, recycling of resources and life support for astronauts.” yahoo.com