THE Shenzhou-14 crew entered the Tianzhou-5 cargo craft yesterday, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

They opened the hatch door of Tianzhou-5 at 2:18 p.m. and entered the cargo spaceship at 3:03 p.m. following preparation work, said the CMSA.

The Shenzhou-14 crew will carry out cargo transfer and other related work as planned.

China launched Tianzhou-5 on Saturday to deliver supplies for the country’s space station, the construction of which is expected to be completed this year.

The Long March-7 Y6 rocket, carrying Tianzhou-5, blasted off at 10:03 a.m. Saturday from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in the southern island province of Hainan.

About two hours later, Tianzhou-5 conducted a fast automated rendezvous and docking at the rear docking port of the space station’s core module Tianhe.

This is the first time that China’s cargo craft has completed a fast automated rendezvous and docking in about two hours, setting a world record, according to Pan Weizhen, a designer of the cargo craft system from the China Academy of Space Technology. It is of great significance for improving the level of China’s space rendezvous and docking, and for enhancing the emergency supply capacity for the space station. (Xinhua)