EXPLAINER: The significance of China's new space station
Here's a look at key developments:

WHAT'S THE MISSION'S PURPOSE?

The three-member crew is due to stay for three months in the station's main living module, named Tianhe, or Heavenly Harmony. They will be carrying out science experiments and maintenance, space walks and preparing the facility to receive two additional modules next year.

While China concedes it arrived late at the space station game, it says its facility is cutting-edge. It could also outlast the International Space Station, which is nearing the end of its functional lifespan.

The launch Thursday also revives China's crewed after a five-year hiatus. With Thursday's launch, China has now sent 14 astronauts into space since it first achieved the feat in 2003, becoming the third country after the former Soviet Union and the U.S. to do so.
WHY IS CHINA BUILDING THE STATION?

As the Chinese economy was beginning to gather steam in the early 1990s, China formulated a plan for , which it has carried out at a steady, cautious cadence. While China has been barred from participation in the International Space Station, mainly over U.S. objections to the Chinese program's secretive nature and close military connections, it's likely the country would have built its own station anyway as it sought the status of a great space power.

In this Nov. 7, 2018, photo, visitors look at a life-size model of the Tianhe core module of China's next space station at the Airshow China in Zhuhai in southern China's Guangdong Province. China on Thursday, June 17, 2021 has launched its first crewed space mission in five years, sending three astronauts to a new space station that marks a milestone in the country's ambitious space program. Credit: Chinatopix via AP
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In this Nov. 7, 2018 photo, visitors look at a life-size model of the Tianhe core module of China's next space station at the Airshow China in Zhuhai in southern China's Guangdong Province. China on Thursday, June 17, 2021 has launched its first crewed space mission in five years, sending three astronauts to a new space station that marks a milestone in the country's ambitious space program. Credit: Chinatopix via AP
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A Long March-2F Y12 rocket carrying a crew of Chinese astronauts in a Shenzhou-12 spaceship lifts off at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan in northwestern China, Thursday, June 17, 2021. China has launched the first three-man crew to its new space station in its the ambitious programs first crewed mission in five years. Credit: AP Photo/Ng Han Guan
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Workers prepare for the start of a press conference near a poster depicting the Chinese space station held at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center ahead of the Shenzhou-12 launch from Jiuquan in northwestern China's Gansu province on Wednesday, June 16, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Ng Han Guan
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Chinese astronauts prepare to depart on the Shenzhou-12 mission at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan in northwestern China, Thursday, June 17, 2021. Adding a crew to China's new orbiting space station is another major advance for the burgeoning space power. Credit: AP Photo/Ng Han Guan
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A scene depicting Long March rockets, Shenzhou module, Space station and satellite is seen at a welcoming sign that reads, "Dong Feng Space City welcomes you" near the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan in northwestern China, Wednesday, June 16, 2021. China has launched the first three-man crew to its new space station in its the ambitious programs first crewed mission in five years. Credit: AP Photo/Ng Han Guan
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Chinese President Xi Jiping is seen on a propaganda board with the slogan "China Dream, Space Dream" from inside a bus at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center near Jiuquan in Northwestern China's Gansu province on Wednesday, June 16, 2021. China's space program has been a massive source of national pride, embodying China's rise from poverty to the world's second largest economy over the past four decades. That has helped shore up the rule of the Communist Party whose authoritarian rule and strict limits on political activity have been tolerated by most Chinese as long in the expectation that the country continues to progress in material terms. Credit: AP Photo/Ng Han Guan
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Chinese astronauts, from left, Liu Boming, Nie Haisheng, and Tang Hongbo wave as they prepare to board for liftoff at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan in northwestern China, Thursday, June 17, 2021. China plans on Thursday to launch three astronauts onboard the Shenzhou-12 spaceship who will be the first crew members to live on China's new orbiting space station Tianhe, or Heavenly Harmony. Credit: AP Photo/Ng Han Guan
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Chinese astronauts, from left, Tang Hongbo, Nie Haisheng, and Liu Boming salute as they prepare to board for liftoff at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan in northwestern China, Thursday, June 17, 2021. China plans on Thursday to launch three astronauts onboard the Shenzhou-12 spaceship who will be the first crew members to live on China's new orbiting space station Tianhe, or Heavenly Harmony. Credit: AP Photo/Ng Han Guan
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A woman holds up a Chinese flag near a board displaying China's astronauts at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan in northwestern China, Thursday, June 17, 2021. China has launched the first three-man crew to its new space station in its ambitious programs first crewed mission in five years. Credit: AP Photo/Ng Han Guan
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A Long March-2F Y12 rocket carrying a crew of Chinese astronauts in a Shenzhou-12 spaceship lifts off at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan in northwestern China, Thursday, June 17, 2021. China launched the first three crew members on a mission to its new space station Thursday in its first crewed mission in five years.Credit: AP Photo/Ng Han Guan
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An exhaust trail is left behind after a Long March-2F Y12 rocket carrying a crew of Chinese astronauts in a Shenzhou-12 spaceship lifted off at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan in northwestern China, Thursday, June 17, 2021. China launched the first three crew members on a mission to its new space station Thursday in its first crewed mission in five years.Credit: AP Photo/Ng Han Guan
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A Long March-2F Y12 rocket carrying a crew of Chinese astronauts in a Shenzhou-12 spaceship lifts off at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan in northwestern China, Thursday, June 17, 2021. China launched the first three crew members on a mission to its new space station Thursday in its first crewed mission in five years. Credit: AP Photo/Ng Han Guan
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