Chinese spacecraft launches to space station

The Shenzhou 19 spacecraft was launched from the Gobi Desert in northwest China.

The spacecraft is delivering three taikonauts – the Chinese word for astronauts – to the Tiangong space station.

Over the next six months, astronauts will perform spacewalks and conduct experiments, with the aim of gathering experience and intelligence to send someone to the Moon by 2030.

Read more about the story here and why some in Washington see China’s space ambitions as a threat.