Context: 

China launched a spacecraft carrying three astronauts, including its first civilian, to its Tiangong space station. 

• This is the country’s fifth manned mission to a fully functional space station since 2021.

What is the new mission about?

• Under the mission, three Chinese astronauts will replace the crew of Shenzhou-15 aboard the Tiangong space station, who have been there since November 2022.
• They are expected to make high-level scientific achievements in the study of novel quantum phenomena, high-precision space time-frequency systems, the verification of general relativity, and the origin of life.

About Tiangong Space Station:

• The Tiangong space station was built by China after the USA barred NASA from working with the Asian country, citing a high risk of espionage.
• It is operated by China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
• The permanently inhabited space station’s first module entered orbit in 2021 and two more modules were added to it in the following years.
• It is expected to become the sole in-orbit outpost for scientific research after the end of operations for the International Space Station in 2030.

New Source: Indian Express