China launches first emergency mission to Tiangong space station

China's first emergency space launch entered orbit after blasting off on Tuesday, as the country looks to plug safety risks at its crewed space station after a vessel was damaged in orbit earlier this month.

The unmanned Shenzhou-22 spacecraft lifted off atop a rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China, according to China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

The spacecraft will travel to China's permanently inhabited Tiangong space station, where three astronauts currently reside with no flightworthy vessel that could return them to Earth in the event of an emergency.

"The spacecraft successfully separated from the rocket and entered its planned orbit, the launch mission was a complete success," CMSA said in a statement published on its official WeChat account.

On 5 November, the Shenzhou-20 vessel was meant to return a trio of Chinese astronauts back to Earth but was deemed unfit to fly after the window of its return capsule was cracked by what CMSA suspects was impact from space debris.

After arriving at the station, the spacecraft will remain docked until around April 2026, when it will be used to transport the crew of the Shenzhou-21 back to Earth, the space agency added.

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