(Yicai Global) June 17 -- China successfully launched three astronauts into outer space this morning, its first crewed mission in five years, who have been tasked with the assembly and operation of the country’s first space station.

The Long March-2F rocket carrying the Shenzhou 12 capsule blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi desert. It follows the launch of the space station’s Tianhe core module at the end of April and a spacecraft carrying supplies at the end of May.

Astronauts Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo will spend three months in orbit.

It will take 12 missions over the course of two years to construct the highly anticipated manned space station, which has a modular design and can be assembled in orbit, the China National Space Administration said earlier. It will be manned by seven space pilots, seven aeronautical engineers and four load experts.

Once complete, the space station will have a total weight of 90 tons and a design life of 10 years. It will operate as a space laboratory to carry out scientific research and technical tests both inside and outside the capsule.

Huge clouds of dust are whipped up as the rocket's engines ignite.

The rocket blasts off, soaring through the atmosphere.

Astronauts Nie Haisheng (right), Liu Boming (middle) and Tang Hongbo (left) wave to the crowds who came to see them off at a ceremony ahead of the launch.

The three astronauts receive on-the-ground training.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Kim Taylor