China shoots people into space

China has in the night of Sunday launched a manned spacecraft on Monday, which is seen as an important step for a Chinese mission to Mars.

The spaceship Shenzhou 11 left at 07. 30 pm (local time) with two astronauts on a launch site in northern China. The 49-year-old Jing Haipeng and the 37-year-old Chen Dong will remain a month in space. They are brought to the space lab Tiangong 2, where they perform various tests include medical field.

The space trip is to prepare for possible manned and unmanned trips to the moon and Mars. By 2020, China wants to perform an unmanned mission to Mars.