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Three astronauts head to space station, embarking on 3-month mission

Astronauts ready for takeoff

The Shenzhou XII spacecraft has docked with the Tianhe core module of China's space station, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

The agency said in a brief statement that the two spacecraft docked with each other at 3:54 pm on Thursday after a 6.5-hour rapid rendezvous and docking operation.

The three-member crew will soon enter the module and start their three-month mission inside the craft, the first, and central, section of China's space station, named Tiangong, or Heavenly Palace, the statement said.

Tianhe was lifted by a Long March 5B heavy-lift rocket at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province on April 29.