The crew of the Shenzhou 10 spacecraft have successfully docked with the Tiangong 1 orbital space module.
The procedure, which took place around 1pm on Thursday, is one of two docking manoeuvres that will be performed during the mission. The second docking manoeuvre is to be carried out manually by the crew.
The Tiangong 1 is China’s first space station, designed to test orbital rendezvous and docking capabilities. Launched unmanned in 2011, it is due to be deorbited in 2013 and replaced by larger Tiangong 2 and Tiangong 3 modules.
China plans to have a permanent space station, similar to the International Space Station, in orbit by 2020.
“The mission’s members carry a space dream of the Chinese nation, and represent the lofty aspirations of the Chinese people to explore space,” Chinese President Xi Jinping said before the launch of the Shenzhou 10 spacecraft this week.
[Image credit: Xinhua]