BEIJING: On Monday, China will launch a two-man space mission, Shenzhou 11, the state-owned Xinhua news agency said, taking the country closer to its ambition of setting up a permanent manned space station by 2022. Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for China to establish itself as a space power, and it has tested anti-satellite missiles, in addition to its civilian aims.
China said that its space programme is for peaceful purposes, but the US Defence Department has highlighted its increasing capabilities, saying it was pursuing activities aimed to prevent adversaries from using space-based assets in a crisis.
Space Programme official – Wu Ping told reporters at a briefing that the astronaut flight group is in good condition, pre-launch preparations are basically ready
The astronauts will dock with the Tiangong 2 space lab, after Monday’s launch at 7:30 am (2330 GMT), where they will spend about a month, processes for space strays and refueling, testing systems, and doing scientific experiments.
In last month, China launched Tiangong 2, its second experimental space lab.
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