Editor's Note:

China launched the Shenzhou-12 manned spacecraft to ferry three astronauts on Thursday morning. The spacecraft completed the rendezvous and docking in an automated and speedy fashion with the Tianhe core module, just 6.5 hours after it was launched  via the Long March-2F Y12 carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China's Gansu Province. The crew's smooth arrival marks yet another significant milestone in the country's progress in the field of manned space travel.

Space time. Photo: GT