China set to send 3 astronauts on longest crewed mission yet

BEIJING (AP) — China is preparing to send three astronauts to live on its space station for six months — a new milestone for a program that has advanced rapidly in recent years. The launch expected early Saturday will start China’s longest crewed space mission and set a record for the most time spent in space by Chinese astronauts. The first crew it sent to the station returned in mid-September and the new crew is expected to continue their work. Mission pilot Zhai Zhigang performed China’s first spacewalk and Wang Yaping, the only woman on the mission, was a crew member on one of China’s earlier experimental space stations. The three spoke through a glass barrier at a base, with Zhai saying the length of the mission would be a challenge.