Space program celebrates 30 years

The Long March 7 carrier rocket tasked with lifting the cargo spaceship has recently been transported to the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province, according to China Manned Space Agency.

The rocket is undergoing pre-launch checks with the cargo ship, the agency said.

Tiangong's current inhabitants — the three members of the Shenzhou XV mission — arrived at the station on Nov 30 to join the three Shenzhou XIV astronauts.

The two crews' meeting marked the first time six Chinese people had traveled into outer space at the same time and also the first in-orbit handover between two Chinese crews. They lived together for more than four days before the Shenzhou XIV crew flew back to Earth.