Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong have lived and worked in the Tiangong-2 space lab since October 18, the longest stay in space by Chinese astronauts.

The reentry module of the Shenzhou-11 spacecraft landed in Inner Mongolia around 2.15 p.m. Friday local time (01.15 a.m ET), after detaching from the space lab and heading for home Thursday.

The Tiangong-2, whose name translates as "heavenly vessel," was launched on September 15 and had unmanned until the astronauts arrived the following month. </s> Shenzhou-11 manned spacecraft carrying astronauts Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong blasts off from the launchpad in Jiuquan, China, October 17, 2016. REUTERS/Stringer/Files

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Shenzhou 11 space capsule landed safely in the northern region of Inner Mongolia on Friday with two astronauts aboard, state media said, completing the country's longest manned space mission to date.

China Central Television showed images of the craft - whose name translates as "Divine Vessel" - on the ground flanked by Chinese flags and support teams. State news agency Xinhua said the capsule had touched down "successfully" just after 2 p.m.

The two astronauts, Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong, spent 30 days aboard the Tiangong 2 space laboratory, or "Heavenly Palace 2", which China is using to carry out experiments ahead of a longer-range plan to have a permanent manned space station around 2022.

They did not immediately emerge from the capsule as CCTV said they were undergoing medical examination, but mission commander Zhang Youxia, who is also a senior military official, said in a televised speech that they were in "good condition".

"The Tiangong 2 and Shenzhou 11 flight duties were a complete success," Zhang said.

Tiangong 2 will remain in its orbit and next docks with Tianzhou 1, China's first cargo spacecraft, which is set to be launched in April next year, according to state media.

In a manned space mission in 2013, three Chinese astronauts spent 15 days in orbit and docked with a space laboratory, the Tiangong 1.

Advancing China's space programme is a priority for Beijing, with President Xi Jinping calling for the country to establish itself as a space power.

The U.S. Defense Department has highlighted China's increasing space capabilities, saying it was pursuing activities aimed at preventing other nations using space-based assets in a crisis.

China has been working to develop its space programme for military, commercial and scientific purposes, but is still playing catch-up to established space powers the United States and Russia. It insists the programme is for peaceful purposes.

China's Jade Rabbit moon rover landed on the moon in late 2013 to great national fanfare, but soon suffered severe technical difficulties.

The rover and the Chang'e 3 probe that carried it there were the first "soft landing" on the moon since 1976. Both the United States and the Soviet Union had accomplished the feat earlier.

China will launch a "core module" for its first space station some time around 2018, a senior official said in April, part of a plan for a permanent manned space station in service around 2022.

(Reporting by Michael Martina and Ben Blanchard; Editing by Nick Macfie) </s> The Shenzhou-11 was put into orbit by a Long March-2F carrier rocket.

China on Monday moved a step closer to establish its permanent space station by 2022 as it launched a spacecraft carrying two astronauts, in its longest-ever manned space mission, who would later join its second experimental space lab orbiting the Earth.

Chinese astronauts Jing Haipeng, 50, and Chen Dong, 37, were blasted off into space by Shenzhou-11 (heavenly vessel) spacecraft at 7:30 am local time (5 am IST) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre near the Gobi Desert in northern China. The launch was telecasted live by the state-run China Central Television (CCTV).

The Shenzhou-11 was put into orbit by a Long March-2F carrier rocket.

It will dock with orbiting space lab Tiangong-2 in two days and the astronauts will stay in the lab for 30 days, Wu Ping, Deputy Director of China’s manned space engineering office said.

Hours before the lift-off, the two astronauts appeared in good spirits and answered several questions.

“Although the job is challenging, risky and dangerous, there is nothing more I would rather do,” Jing, who is commander of this mission, told reporters on Sunday.

It will be Jing’s third spaceflight following his Shenzhou-7 mission in September 2008 and Shenzhou-9 mission in March 2012.

“(For this mission) we have improved our ability to deal with emergencies, first aid and space experiments,” Jing said.

“I will treasure every moment in space and ensure I record my experience in my diary and enjoy the out-of-this-world scenery,” Chen said.

China, which conducted its first manned space mission in 2003, is putting in billions into its space programme in a bid to catch up with the US and Europe. It also plans to launch its maiden Mars mission in 2020 to match India and others.

China has said its space programme is for peaceful purposes, but it has also tested anti-satellite missiles in addition to its civilian aims.

The Shenzhou-11 spaceship will return to Earth within a day after docking the two astronauts on Tiangong-2 space lab and separating from it, Wu said.

Jing will command the mission to the space lab which was launched last month.

With a safe flight record of 1,500 hours as an air force pilot, Chen became China’s second group of astronauts in May 2010, and was selected as a crew member of the Shenzhou—11 mission in June 2016, Wu said.

This will be his first space mission.

The space lab was launched as part of China’s efforts to set up its own manned space station by 2022, which will make it the only the country to have such a facility in service as the current in-service International Space Station (ISS) retires by 2024.

Other objectives of the manned space mission include aerospace medical experiments, space science experiments and in-orbit maintenance with human participation, as well as other activities, Wu said.

The two astronauts will undertake ultrasound tests during space travel for the first time, cultivate plants in space, and test the three winners of an experiment design competition run in Hong Kong for secondary school students.

Several technical alterations have been made to Shenzhou-11, though its main functions and technical parameters are basically the same as Shenzhou-10, Wu said.

Lei Fanpei, chairman of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp (CASC), recently said China plans to launch the experimental core module of its space station around 2018 with a Long March-5 heavy load carrier rocket, and the 20 ton combination space station will be sent into orbit around 2022.

The space station has a designed life of 10 years in orbit 400 km above the earth surface. With this space station, China will become the second country after Russia to have developed a space station.

China made a three-step strategy in 1992 for its manned space programme, the large-scale manned space station being the last step. </s> China successfully launched the Shenzhou-11 spacecraft into orbit with two astronauts on board, making it the country’s sixth manned space mission. The spacecraft was lifted atop a Long March 2F rocket at 7:30 a.m. local time on Oct. 17 (7:30 p.m. EDT) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre located in the Gobi desert. The crewed space vehicle will reportedly dock with a new space laboratory module.

“The rocket is flying according to its original plan, and the Shenzhou spacecraft has entered its preliminary orbit,” said Gen. Zhang Youxia, chief commander of China’s manned space program. “I announce the launch of Shenzhou-11 manned spacecraft is a complete success.”

The two member crew on the spacecraft includes veteran astronaut Jing Haipeng, who flew on Shenzhou-7 in 2008 and Shenzhou-9 in 2012, as well as newbie astronaut Chen Dong who is making his first spaceflight. The spacecraft is scheduled to attach with the Tiangong-2 module on October 18. Incidentally, the module itself was launched on September 15. The two astronauts will stay on board the Tiangong-2 for a duration of 30 days, which will make this particular manned space mission twice as long as the prevalent human spaceflight endurance record held by China, with its Shenzhou-10 mission that took place in June 2013.

Haipeng and Dong will carry out a variety of space, medical and science experiments aboard the Tiangong-2 during their 30 day mission. In addition, the two astronauts will also examine the various systems of the module itself. The sixth manned space mission which took off on the Shenzhou-11 is part of China’s efforts to work on developing a permanent space station, and the country hopes to expect this station to be completed by the early 2020s, as per reports. Incidentally, the expected space station being developed by the country is not going to be as big as the International Space Station (ISS); however it will comprise of numerous smaller modules. </s> BEIJING -- China's Shenzhou-11 spacecraft returned to earth Friday, bringing home two astronauts from the rising power's longest-ever orbital mission, in a milestone for its vaulting ambitions.

China's state broadcaster CCTV showed the return capsule's separation from the Tiangong-2 space lab 393 kilometers above the earth, and its descent through the atmosphere to its landing on the grassland of Inner Mongolia in the country's north.

After it landed, ground personnel rushed to plant two flapping red flags beside the capsule while observers applauded in China's mission control.

CCTV later showed footage of Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong being carried out of the capsule and waving as staff wrapped them in blue blankets. The manned space program's commander in chief Zhang Youxia announced that the mission was a "complete success."

The men spent the 33-day mission orbiting the earth carrying out experiments including cultivating silkworms, growing lettuce, and testing brain activity.

The Tiangong-2 space lab, launched in September, is also running experiments on growing rice and thale cress.

Beijing is pouring billions into its space program in a bid to catch up with the U.S. and Europe.

It announced in April that it aims to send a spacecraft "around 2020" to orbit Mars, then land and deploy a rover to explore the Red Planet's surface.

In their last entry in a space diary published by the official Xinhua news agency, the astronauts wrote that they kept fit in space by doing somersaults and zero-gravity tai chi. "At the end of a busy day, we have some free time before going to bed," they wrote. "We take selfies to have some personal record of this unforgettable journey, or just go to the window and quietly stare at that beautiful blue planet called Earth."

Beijing sees the military-run program as a symbol of China's progress and a marker of its rising global stature.

The nation's first lunar rover was launched in late 2013, and while it was beset by mechanical troubles it far outlived its expected lifespan, finally shutting down only last month.

But so far China has largely replicated activities that the U.S. and Soviet Union pioneered decades ago.

It intends to set up its own manned space station by 2022, and eventually put one of its citizens on the surface of the moon.

In an interview earlier this week, Jing told Xinhua that "even in the wilderness of space" the astronauts could "always feel the love from our motherland". </s> The Shenzhou 11 blasted off on a Long March rocket at 7:30 am (07:30 p.m. EDT) from the remote launch site in Jiuquan, in the Gobi desert, in images carried live on state television.

The astronauts will dock with the Tiangong 2 space laboratory, or "Heavenly Palace 2", which was sent into space last month. It will be the longest stay in space by Chinese astronauts, state media reported.

Early on Monday, Fan Changlong, a vice chairman of China's powerful Central Military Commission, met astronauts Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong and wished them well, state news agency Xinhua reported.

"You are going to travel in space to pursue the space dream of the Chinese nation," Fan said.

"With all the scientific and rigorous training, discreet preparation, and rich experience accumulated from previous missions, you will accomplish the glorious and tough task... We wish you success and look forward to your triumphant return."

Shenzhou 11 is the third space voyage for Jing, who will command the mission and celebrate his 50th birthday in orbit.

In a manned space mission in 2013, three Chinese astronauts spent 15 days in orbit and docked with a space laboratory, the Tiangong 1.

Advancing China's space program is a priority for Beijing, with President Xi Jinping calling for the country to establish itself as a space power.

China insists its space program is for peaceful purposes.

Shenzhou 11, whose name translates as "Divine Vessel", will also carry three experiments designed by Hong Kong middle school students and selected in a science competition, including one that will take silk worms into space.

The U.S. Defense Department has highlighted China's increasing space capabilities, saying it was pursuing activities aimed at preventing other nations using space-based assets in a crisis.

China has been working to develop its space program for military, commercial and scientific purposes, but is still playing catch-up to established space powers the United States and Russia.

China's Jade Rabbit moon rover landed on the moon in late 2013 to great national fanfare, but soon suffered severe technical difficulties.

The rover and the Chang'e 3 probe that carried it there were the first "soft landing" on the moon since 1976. Both the United States and the Soviet Union had accomplished the feat earlier.

China will launch a "core module" for its first space station some time around 2018, a senior official said in April, part of a plan for a permanent manned space station in service around 2022. </s> BEIJING (AP) — Two Chinese astronauts began the country’s longest crewed space mission yet on Monday, blasting off on a spacecraft for a 30-day stay on an experimental space station as China steadfastly navigates its way to becoming a space superpower.

Ahead of the launch, one astronaut shouted: “We are ready! Please give instructions!” in front of dozens of people dressed in colorful dress representing China’s ethnic minorities, in footage shown prominently on Chinese TV. The commander-in-chief of the manned space program, Gen. Zhang Youxia, replied: “Proceed!” followed by blaring marching music as the astronauts boarded a bus to take them to the launch pad.

China, Russia and the United States are the only countries that have independently launched humans into space, and while the others have more experience in manned space travel, China’s military-backed program has made methodical progress in comparatively short time.

The launch is China’s sixth manned mission, the previous longest being about two weeks.

For this mission, the astronauts will dock their spacecraft with the Tiangong 2 station within two days, conduct experiments in medicine and space-related technologies, and test systems and processes in preparation for the launching of the station’s core module in 2018. A fully functioning space station is on course to begin operating six years from now and slated to run for at least a decade.

The Shenzhou 11 space capsule blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on the edge of the Gobi Desert in northern China at 7:30 a.m. (2330 GMT) aboard a Long March-2F carrier rocket.

Zhang declared the launch a success 16 minutes later. Defense Minister Fan Changlong then read a congratulatory message from President Xi Jinping calling for China’s astronauts to explore space “more deeply and more broadly.”

Since China conducted its first crewed space mission in 2003, it has staged a spacewalk and landed its Yutu rover on the moon. The Tiangong, or “Heavenly Palace,” space stations are considered stepping stones to a mission to send a rover to Mars by the end of the decade. Administrators suggest a crewed landing on the moon may also be in the program’s future.

The Shenzhou 11 astronauts are Jing Haipeng, who is flying his third mission, and 37-year-old Chen Dong.

“It is any astronaut’s dream and pursuit to be able to perform many space missions,” Jing, who turns 50 during his time in space, told a briefing Sunday.

China was excluded from the International Space Station mainly due to U.S. concerns over the Chinese space program’s strongly military character. Chinese officials are now looking to internationalize their own program by offering to help finance other countries’ missions to Tiangong 2, which, at 60 tons when completed, would still be considerably smaller than the 420-ton ISS.

China’s space program also opened a fourth spacecraft launch site at Wenchang on the island province of Hainan in June. It was inaugurated with the launch of the newly developed Long March 7 rocket that was hailed as a breakthrough in the use of safer, more environmentally friendly fuels.

China is developing the Long March 5 heavy-lift rocket needed to launch the Tiangong 2’s additional components and other massive payloads.

A source of enormous national pride, China’s space program plans a total of 20 missions this year at a time when the U.S. and other countries’ programs are seeking new roles. </s> (CNN) China's Shenzhou 11 "heavenly vessel" launched Monday (7:30 p.m. Sunday ET) from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert. The launch was shown on state broadcaster CCTV.

This is China's longest-ever crewed space mission. On board are two astronauts -- Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong. They will dock with the Tiangong-2 space lab, which was launched last month.

Jing and Chen will remain in space for a total of 33 days, with 30 of those spent conducting experiments related to medicine, physics and biology in the space lab.

Since October 2003, China has completed five manned space flight missions -- the last one took place in 2013 and lasted 15 days.

China's Shenzhou 11 spaceship onboard a Long March-2F carrier rocket takes off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China's Gansu province on Monday Oct. 17, 2016.

The Tiangong-2, and its predecessor Tiangong-1, are prototypes for China's ultimate goal -- a permanent 20-ton space station, which is expected to be sent into orbit in 2022.

China aims to send its space station into orbit two years before the International Space Station (ISS) retires in 2024, according to state news agency Xinhua.

"Tiangong is a precursor testbed of capabilities, building toward the large space station has always been the culminating goal of the Shenzhou program," said Joan Johnson-Freese, a professor at the Naval War College specializing in space programs and space security.

However, Wu Ping, deputy director of the manned space engineering office, played down any chance of damage.

"Based on our calculation and analysis, most parts of the space lab will burn up during falling," she said in a press conference last mont h, adding that it was unlikely to affect aviation activities or cause damage to the ground.

Once the ISS goes out of service, China potentially will be the only country with a permanent space presence.

European astronauts are said to already be learning Chinese in anticipation but unless there is a change in US policy, American astronauts are unlikely to be involved.

Since 2011, the US Congress has barred NASA from contact with China's space program because of national security concerns.

"Chinese politicians certainly have wanted to work with the United States in space, to show they are an accepted part of the international family of space-faring nations, but with their own space station forthcoming and international partners other than the US willing and lining up to work with them, that imperative decreases," Johnson-Freese said.

China was late to the space race -- it didn't send its first satellite into space until 1970 -- just after the United States put the first man on the moon.

"If the US does not change its policies very soon and begin to work with China in space, it will lose whatever leverage it might have in shaping Chinese space plans for the future, " Johnson-Freese said. </s> BEIJING — China launched a pair of astronauts into space Monday on a mission to dock with an experimental space station and remain aboard for 30 days in preparation for the start of operations by a full-bore facility six years from now.

The Shenzhou 11 mission took off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on the edge of the Gobi Desert in northern China at 7:30 a.m. (2330 GMT) aboard a Long March-2F carrier rocket.

It will dock with the Tiangong 2 space station precursor facility within two days, conduct experiments in medicine and various space-related technologies, and test systems and processes in preparation for the launching of the station’s core module in 2018.

Space program commander-in-chief Gen. Zhang Youxia declared the launch a success at 7:46 a.m. (2346 GMT). Defense Minister Fan Changlong then read a congratulatory message from President Xi Jinping calling for China’s astronauts to explore space “more deeply and more broadly.”

Premier Li Keqiang and propaganda chief Liu Yunshan visited the Beijing control center to congratulate staff. It is the sixth time China has launched astronauts into space and the duration will be the longest by far.

Following the attachment of two experiment modules, the completed station is set to begin full operations in 2022 and will run for at least a decade.

An earlier Tiangong 1 experimental space station launched in 2011 went out of service in March after docking with three visiting spacecraft and extending its mission for two years. The Tiangong, or “Heavenly Palace,” stations are considered stepping stones to a mission to Mars by the end of the decade.

The Shenzhou 11 astronauts are Jing Haipeng, who is flying his third mission, and 37-year-old Chen Dong.

“It is any astronaut’s dream and pursuit to be able to perform many space missions,” Jing, who turns 50 during his time in space, told a briefing Sunday.

China conducted its first crewed space mission in 2003, becoming only the third country after Russia and the U.S. to do so, and has since staged a spacewalk and landed its Yutu rover on the moon. Administrators suggest a crewed landing on the moon may also be in the program’s future.

China was prevented from participating in the International Space Station, mainly due to U.S. concerns over the Chinese space program’s strongly military character. Chinese officials are now looking to internationalize their own program by offering to help finance other countries’ missions to Tiangong 2.

China’s space program also opened its massive fourth spacecraft launch site at Wenchang on China’s southernmost island province of Hainan in June. It was inaugurated with the launch of the newly developed Long March 7 rocket that was hailed as a breakthrough in the use of safer, more environmentally friendly fuels.

China is currently developing the Long March 5 heavy-lift rocket needed to launch the Tiangong 2′s additional components and other massive payloads.

China also plans to land a rover on Mars by 2020, attempting to recreate the success of the U.S. Viking 1 mission that landed a rover on the planet four decades ago.

A source of enormous national pride, China’s space program plans a total of 20 missions this year at a time when the U.S. and other countries’ programs are seeking new roles.
China's Shenzhou 11 returns to Earth after completing China's longest manned space mission to date.