BEIJING (AP) — China’s third and final module docked with its its permanent space station and further a more than decade-long effort to maintain a constantly crewed presence in orbit. Mengtian was blasted into space on Monday from a launch center on the southern island province of Hainan aboard a Long March-5B Y4 carrier rocket, one of China’s most powerful launch vehicles. A large crowd of amateur photographers and space enthusiasts watched is it rose into the sky. Mengtian is the second laboratory module for the space station, connecting to a core module where the crew lives and works. The module is currently populated by two male and one female astronauts. Monday’s launch is uncrewed.
China launches 3rd and final space station component
