China’s Shenzhou-21 spacecraft took off on Friday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China.
The Long March-2F rocket carried three astronauts to the Tiangong space station, which means “Heavenly Palace.”
Commander Zhang Lu is 48 years old. First-time flyers Zhang Hongzhang, 39, and Wu Fei, 32, joined him. Wu is now China’s youngest astronaut in orbit.
The crew will stay in space for about six months, replacing the Shenzhou-20 team, who will soon return to Earth.