China launches manned spacecraft Shenzhou 13 to National Orbital Station

Changzheng-2F, the Chinese launch vehicle, with manned spacecraft Shenzhou-13 was launched to the Tiangong orbital station on Friday, Sputnik reported.

There are three taikonauts on board and the launch was broadcast by the Central Television of China.

The launch took place in accordance with the schedule at 0:23 Saturday local time (16:23 GMT Friday) from the Jiuquan cosmodrome in Gansu province in northwestern China, reported Sputnik.

The Shenzhou 13 crew will spend at least 180 days at the station.

The crew included Zhai Zhigang. In September 2008, Zhai, was the commander of the Shenzhou 7 crew and he became the first Chinese to conduct a spacewalk.

Together with him, female taikonaut Wang Yaping, a member of the crew of the Shenzhou 10 spacecraft, and Ye Guangfu, for whom the upcoming flight will be the first in his career, is sent into orbit.

All three were part of the Shenzhou 12 backup crew, which was the first on the Chinese space station and spent three months there, according to Sputnik.