China's first cargo spacecraft docked successfully with the Tiangong-2 space lab today, marking a major step towards Beijing's goal of establishing a permanently manned space station by 2022.<br/><br/>President Xi Jinping has prioritised advancing China's space programme to strengthen national security. The Tianzhou-1 cargo resupply spacecraft made the automated docking process with the orbiting space lab after it had taken off on Thursday evening from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Centre in the southern island province of Hainan.<br/><br/>The Tiangong-2 space laboratory was home to two astronauts for a month last October in China's longest ever manned space mission.<br/><br/>The cargo spacecraft mission provides an important technological basis to build a Chinese space station. It can carry 6 tonnes of goods, 2 tonnes of fuel and can fly unmanned for three months.