THE successful launch of the crewed spaceship Shenzhou-14 was reported by several international media outlets as worldwide observers called it a new step in China’s efforts to complete its own space station and explore space.

On Sunday, three Chinese astronauts onboard the Shenzhou-14 spaceship were sent to space and entered the country’s space station core module Tianhe. This is the 23rd flight mission since the approval and launch of the country’s manned space program and the third crewed mission for China’s space station project.

The flight of the Shenzhou-14 spacecraft to the Tiangong space station marked the beginning of a decade during which Chinese astronauts will constantly live and work in low-orbit Earth, Russia’s Regnum news agency reported.

The Moscow Komsomolets newspaper detailed China’s plans to build the Tiangong space station.

Noting that China has successfully sent another team of astronauts into space to complete its space station, Germany’s DPA reported the space station underpins China’s aspirations to catch up with the world’s major manned spaceflight nations. China’s space program has already achieved some successes, it added.

Croatian astronomer Ante Radonic said in an interview with Xinhua that the successful launch shows that China’s manned spaceflight technology is mature and everything is going according to schedule.

The construction of China’s space station would be completed soon, the astronomer said.

Noting that China is the third country in the world capable of independently carrying out manned spaceflight activities, Radonic said that China’s manned spaceflight program already holds a leading position globally, and the space station program further demonstrates the rapid development of China’s manned spaceflight technology.

(Xinhua)