China successfully launches rescue spacecraft to facilitate return of crew from space station

Beijing, Nov 25 (PTI) China successfully launched a new spacecraft on Tuesday to replace its debris-hit spaceship attached to the space station, completing the first emergency launch of its crewed programme.

The newly launched Shenzhou-22 spaceship, which docked with the Tiangong space station, will provide a return vessel for the three astronauts in orbit who are due to return in April next year.

The previous crew used their return vessel to fly home on November 14, after their spaceship was hit by debris, which damaged the view window and made it unsafe.

This left the current three-member crew with no safe method of escape in the case of an emergency.

China rotates the crew of its space station every six months.

On Tuesday, the unmanned Shenzhou-22 spaceship carried a cargo of space food, medical supplies, fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as devices for fixing the cracked window on the Shenzhou-20 spaceship, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said.

It would be used to bring the current three-member crew back in April next year.

The damaged spaceship will be repaired and will eventually return to earth, but only with cargo and no astronauts on board, the CMSA said.

The Shenzhou-22 spaceship was launched, atop a Long March-2F Y22 carrier rocket, from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China.   About 10 minutes after the launch, the spaceship separated from the rocket and entered its designated orbit and later docked with the space station.

The CMSA declared the launch mission a complete success.

China built its space station after it was reportedly excluded from the International Space Station (ISS) over concerns that China's space programme is controlled by its military. PTI KJV ZH ZH