According to Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the Manned Space Agency, the spacecraft will depart from Jiuquan and once it has reached orbit it will automatically dock with the central module of Tianhe station.

The taikonauts (Chinese astronauts) will remain there for the next six months and the stay will be longer than that of the previous team, whose mission lasted from June to September.

They will have among their tasks two or three extravehicular activities (EVA), the emplacement of devices for mechanical arms, as well as the development of various experiments and applications of science and technology.

China plans conducting a total of 10 manned missions to train crews in the assembly and construction in orbit of complex and large spacecraft, as well as in the performance of long-duration flights near the Earth and large-scale tests.

The station will operate in low Earth orbit at an altitude of between 340 and 450 kilometers, and its useful life is planned to be 10 years.

However, experts believe that it will last longer than 15 years with proper maintenance and repairs.

pgh/llp/rgh/ymr