China’s Shenzhou-18 spacecraft with three astronauts docked with the Tiangong space station on Friday, state media reported; This is the latest step in Beijing’s space program, which aims to send astronauts to the moon by 2030.

The crew lifted off in a capsule on a Long March-2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China at 20:59 local time (12:59 GMT) on Thursday. On Friday morning, the spacecraft “successfully docked” with the space station, state news agency Xinhua reported, citing the China Manned Space Agency.

The mission is led by fighter pilot and astronaut Ye Guangfu, who was previously part of the 2021 Shenzhou-13 crew.

He is accompanied by astronauts Li Cun and Li Guangsu, who will go to space for the first time. An AFP journalist at the scene said spectators cheered as the rocket rose into the night sky. Xinhua said the launch was declared a “complete success”.

Astronauts will stay at the Tiangong space station for six months. The China Manned Space Agency said they plan to conduct experiments here “in the fields of basic microgravity physics, space material science, space life science, space medicine and space technology.” They will attempt to create an aquarium on the ship and raise fish in zero gravity, according to Xinhua.

“Taikonauts will not only find joy in the ‘aquarium’ in space, but may also pave the way for their future counterparts to enjoy the nutritious fish they harvest from their own harvests in orbit.” he added.

According to the agency, the researcher said that they would also conduct experiments on “fruit flies and mice.” The new crew will replace the Shenzhou-17 crew sent to the station in October. Plans for China’s “space dream” were shelved under President Xi Jinping.

The world’s second-largest economy has poured billions of dollars into its military space program in a bid to catch up with the United States and Russia. Beijing also plans to send a crewed mission to the moon by 2030 and establish a base on the lunar surface.

China has been effectively excluded from the International Space Station since 2011, when the United States banned NASA from working with the country, prompting Beijing to build its own orbital outpost.

That station is Tiangong, meaning “celestial palace,” the crown jewel of the space program that has landed robotic rovers on Mars and the moon and made China the third country to independently put humans into orbit. The crew is constantly changing teams of three astronauts, construction is completed in 2022. Tiangong is expected to remain in low-Earth orbit 400 to 450 kilometers (250 to 280 miles) above the planet for at least 10 years.