China on Thursday launched a rocket carrying three astronauts to its space station to replace three others who have been aboard since May.

The Long March-2F rocket carrying the Shenzhou-17 spacecraft lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China's northwest province of Gansu at 11:14 a.m., the China Manned Space Agency said.

The three male astronauts, including the commander who will be the first returnee to the Tiangong space station, will stay there until next April and conduct various in-orbit science and application payload experiments, the CMSA said.

The T-shaped space station with two lab modules was completed late last year.

China plans to launch two manned spacecraft and one or two cargo spacecraft every year, according to the CMSA. The Tiangong space station has already hosted five groups of astronauts, including some when it was under construction.

China launched its first manned spacecraft in 2003, making it the third nation to put a man in space after the United States and the Soviet Union. By 2030, Beijing aims to realize a manned lunar landing.

==Kyodo

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