By Wonderwall.com Editors
7:00am PDT, Apr 30, 2024
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In a burst of purple and orange flames, China launched its seventh crewed mission to the Tiangong space station on April 25.
The three astronauts onboard the Shenzhou-18 — riding atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket — blasted off from Jiuquan spaceport in the Gobi Desert before arriving at the orbiting space station, according to Space.com.
The new crew — commander Ye Guangfu, along with Li Cong and Li Guangsu, all of whom are former fighter pilots — were expected to meet the Shenzhou-17 crew as soon as the hatch opened aboard the Tiangong.
The Shenzhou-17 astronauts have been working on the station since October 2023. They're slated to pass off the reins to the Shenzhou-18 crew in the coming days and depart on April 30.
Once they settle in, the new crew will "carry out 90 experiments, two to three extravehicular activities and implement six cargo outbound deliveries via the station's cargo airlock," per Space.com. They're expected to remain on the station for six months as China continues to make progress on its lunar mission plans.
Keep reading to see more amazing photos from China's latest space station mission launch…
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The Shenzhou-18 manned spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, blasts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, China, on April 25, 2024.
China launched the spaceship to send three taikonauts to its orbiting Tiangong space station for a six-month mission.
MORE: Chinese rocket explodes over California: All the best photos
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Chinese astronauts Li Guangsu, Ye Guangfu and Li Cong of the Shenzhou-18 crewed space mission attend a see-off ceremony at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Alxa League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China, on April 25, 2024.
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Flames and smoke are seen in the desert as the Shenzhou-18 manned spaceship launches on a mission to China's space station on April 25, 2024.
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A trail of light is seen in the sky above Jiuquan, China, on April 25, 2024, as the Shenzhou-18 manned spaceship launches on a mission to China's space station.
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Here's another view of China's Shenzhou-18 manned spaceship blasting off in the Gobi Desert on April 25, 2024.
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The Shenzhou-18 spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, blasts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, China, on April 25, 2024.
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The Shenzhou-18 manned spaceship — carrying mission commander Ye Guangfu, plus Li Cong and Li Guangsu — blasts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, China, on April 25, 2024.
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The Shenzhou-18 manned spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, blasts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, China, on April 25, 2024.
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The Shenzhou-18 manned spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, blasts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, China, on April 25, 2024.
China launched the spaceship to send three taikonauts to its orbiting Tiangong space station for a six-month mission.
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The Shenzhou-18 manned spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, blasts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, China, on April 25, 2024.
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The Shenzhou-18 manned spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, blasts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, China, on April 25, 2024.
China launched the spaceship to send three taikonauts to its orbiting Tiangong space station for a six-month mission.
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The Shenzhou-18 manned spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, blasts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, China, on April 25, 2024.
China launched the spaceship to send three taikonauts to its orbiting Tiangong space station for a six-month mission.
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The Shenzhou-18 manned spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, blasts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, China, on April 25, 2024.
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The Shenzhou-18 manned spaceship — carrying mission commander Ye Guangfu, plus Li Cong and Li Guangsu — blasts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, China, on April 25, 2024.
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Chinese astronauts Li Guangsu, Ye Guangfu and Li Cong of the Shenzhou-18 crewed space mission attend a see-off ceremony at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Alxa League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China, on April 25, 2024.
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The Shenzhou-18 manned spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, blasts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, China, on April 25, 2024.
