<span style="color: #222222;">In China, three astronauts, including a civilian, were launched to the Tiangong space station on Tuesday onboard Shenzhou-16. The civilian, Beihang University professor Gui Haichao, was put into orbit for the first time in space.<br />''<br />''According to officials, Shenzhou-16 is the first mission to Tiangong since it entered the application and development stage.<br />''<br />''Tiangong is the crown jewel of China's space programme, which has also landed robotic rovers on Mars and the Moon.  <br />''<br />''In a statement, Director of the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, Zou Lipeng said the launch was a complete success and the astronauts are in good condition.<br />''<br />''The Shenzhou-16 crew launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China at 9:31 a.m. local time aboard a Long March 2F rocket.<br />''<br />''In an effort to catch up with the United States and Russia, China has committed billions of dollars in its military-run space programme.</span><br />