THE three Chinese astronauts on board the Shenzhou-12 spaceship entered the country’s space station core module Tianhe on Thursday, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

After Shenzhou-12 successfully completed a fast automated rendezvous and docking with Tianhe, the crew entered the orbital capsule from the return capsule of the spaceship.

After a series of preparations, the astronauts opened the hatches of the node and Tianhe.

By 6:48 p.m., Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo had entered Tianhe one by one, signifying that for the first time the Chinese have entered their own space station.

The spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China’s Gobi Desert at 9:22 a.m. Thursday.

It is China’s seventh crewed mission to space and the first during the construction of China’s space station. It is also the first in nearly five years after the country’s last manned mission.

About 573 seconds after the launch, Shenzhou-12 separated from the rocket and entered its designated orbit. The crew is in good shape and the launch is a complete success, according to the CMSA.

The spaceship then completed orbital status setting and conducted a fast autonomous rendezvous and docking with the front docking port of Tianhe at 3:54 p.m., forming a three-module complex with the cargo craft Tianzhou-2.

The whole process took approximately 6.5 hours.

The astronauts are expected to set a new record for China’s manned space mission duration, exceeding the 33 days kept by the Shenzhou-11 crew in 2016.

According to the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), more than 160 large and small packages, including supplies for astronauts and space-science equipment, were delivered by Tianzhou-2, a cargo craft launched May 29.

The Tianzhou-3 cargo craft and the Shenzhou-13 manned spaceship will also be launched later this year to dock with Tianhe, and another three astronauts will then begin their six-month stay in orbit, according to the CMSA.

After the five launch missions this year, China plans to have six more missions, including the launch of the Wentian and Mengtian lab modules, two cargo spacecraft and two crewed spaceships, in 2022 to complete the construction of the space station.

The Tianhe module will be the “home in space” for the three astronauts for the next three months.

The total length of the core module is 16.6 meters, around the height of a five-story building. With a maximum diameter of 4.2 meters, it is more spacious than a train or subway carriage, providing astronauts with six zones for work, sleep, sanitation, dining, health care and exercise.

Every astronaut will have his designated sleeping area and toilet. The astronauts will use a device called the neuromuscular electrical stimulator to stimulate the nerves in muscles in order to restore function and strength and prevent muscle atrophy. Experts on the ground can adjust the device according to the status of the astronauts.

According to Liu Weibo, deputy chief designer of the astronaut system of China’s manned space program, the astronauts will have regular physical checkups every four to five weeks.

Space food, including many classic Chinese cuisines, has been delivered by Tianzhou-2.

(Continued on P4)