At 2330 GMT on 16 October, two Taikonauts – three-time space-flier Jing Haipeng and space new boy Chen Dong – were launched into orbit aboard the Shenzhou 11 spacecraft by a Long March 2F/H (CZ-2F/H) rocket. The lift-off took place from the Jiuquan launch site in the Gobi Desert.
After the 10-minute launch came a two-day chase of the of Tiangong 2 module/mini-space station. The plan is for the two taikonauts to complete a month’s stay aboard this “man-tended” mini-station. If successful, it will mark the longest period of Chinese residence in low Earth orbit.
Update on 19 October 2016: Shenzhou 11 docked with Tiangong-2 orbital module/mini-space station at 1924 GMT on 18 October. Taikonaut Jing Haipeng entered the station at 2232 GMT. The docked assembly was imaged by the small Banxing 2 (BX 2) inspection spacecraft, which had been ejected from the Tiangong-2 station on 22 October.