Chinese President Xi Jinping (L), also general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), shakes hands with those participating in the program of Shenzhou-10 manned spacecraft and sends his warm greetings to them at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Jiuquan, northwest China's Gansu Province, June 11, 2013. Xi watched conditions of the spacecraft through images and parameters on the screen at the command hall. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)
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Chinese president shares his joy with space program staff
JIUQUAN, June 11 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping met with representatives from organizations participating in the Shenzhou-10 Manned Spacecraft flight mission on Tuesday evening at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.
At 17:38 p.m., a three-member crew including one woman set off on the new space mission. Full story
Commentary: China's space dream a humble one
BEIJING, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Ten years after China sent its first man into low earth orbit, three astronauts operating the Shenzhou-10 spacecraft started a journey on a mission which seeks a permanent space station around 2020.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said at the launch site that the crew carry a "space dream" of the Chinese nation and represent the lofty aspirations of the Chinese people to explore space. Full story
Profile: Chinese astronaut Nie Haisheng
Profile: Shenzhou-10 astronaut Zhang Xiaoguang
Profile: Female astronaut Wang Yaping
