Astronauts into space module

Successful automatic docking reported by Beijing control center

The three Shenzhou X astronauts moved into the Tiangong-1 space module on Thursday following a successful automatic docking.

The spacecraft completed the docking procedure at 1:18 pm, according to the Beijing Aerospace Control Center.

It is the fifth docking between a Shenzhou spacecraft and the unmanned space module conducted by China.

The control center said Shenzhou X, launched on Tuesday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu province, began to approach the Tiangong-1 automatically at 10:48 am, making contact with it at 1:11 pm.

The astronauts, sitting in the spacecraft’s re-entry capsule, monitored and reported the docking operation to the control center.

After the two spacecraft were locked together and the space module was checked, astronaut Nie Haisheng opened the doors leading to Tiangong-1 with help from fellow astronaut Zhang Xiaoguang.