China launches Shenzhou-23 space flight

4 days ago

China has launched its Shenzhou-23 mission, which will see a Chinese astronaut spend a full year in orbit for the first time, a crucial step in Beijing's ambition to send humans to the Moon by 2030. The Long March 2-F rocket blasted off in a cloud of flames and smoke on time at 1508 GMT on Sunday from the Jiuquan launch