China's Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceship successfully docked with the space station combination on Wednesday, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
The spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, blasted off at 04:27 Wednesday (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.
About 10 minutes after the launch, the Shenzhou-19 spaceship separated from the rocket and entered its designated orbit.
The docking process took about 6.5 hours, said the CMSA.
The Shenzhou-19 crew consists of mission commander Cai Xuzhe, and astronauts Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze.
They will enter the space station, where the three astronauts of the Shenzhou-18 mission are ready for their arrival.
Shenzhou-19 spaceship docks with space station combination
Russia successfully conducted a strategic nuclear exercise on Tuesday, with all missiles hitting their targets, said the Russian defense ministry.
Russian President Vladimir Putin oversaw the exercise via video link, which involved practical ballistic missile launches, according to the Kremlin.
The defense ministry said all objectives of the exercise were fulfilled, with all missiles hitting their targets and testifying their specified characteristics.
Putin said that Russia will not engage in an arms race, but the use of nuclear weapons is an "extreme, exceptional measure to ensure state security." It is important to have modern strategic forces that are constantly ready for combat use, he said.
During the exercise, the Russian army launched a Yars intercontinental ballistic missile from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in northwest Russia to Kamchatka.
Russian submarines fired Sineva and Bulava ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles were launched from strategic bombers, the defense ministry said.
Russia holds strategic nuclear exercise
