China launches first unmanned cargo spacecraft

                        

China has launched its first cargo spacecraft, making further progress in its goal of establishing a permanently manned space station by 2022.

The Tianzhou-1 cargo resupply spacecraft lifted off on Thursday evening on a Long March-7 Y2 rocket from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Centre in the southern island province of Hainan.

State television broadcast the launch live.

Minutes later, as the spacecraft cleared the atmosphere, the mission was declared a success by administrators at ground control on the outskirts of the capital, Beijing.