China launches 3 astronauts to complete space station

BEIJING (AP) — China has launched a rocket carrying three astronauts to complete construction of space station. The crew of the Shenzhou-15 will overlap for several days with the three-member crew already onboard the Tiangong station while expanding the facility to its maximum size. The latest crew includes veteran of a 2005 space mission and two first-time astronauts. Their spaceship blasted off atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at 11:08 p.m. Tuesday. The six-month mission will be the last in the construction phase of China’s space station. The station’s third and final module docked with the station earlier this month, one of the last steps in China’s effort to maintain a constant crewed presence in orbit.