China's Shenzhou-13 mission has been launched  with three Chinese astronauts departing on the Shenzhou-13 crewed space mission  at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.

At the command of Li Shangfu, commander-in-chief of China's manned space program, astronauts Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu set off to begin the country's longest-ever crewed space mission for the construction of China's space station.

The crew on the the Shenzhou-13 spaceship is expected to stay in orbit for six months.