China successfully launched its fifth manned spacecraft late Tuesday afternoon, sending three astronauts on the country’s longest space trip

China successfully launched its fifth manned spacecraft late Tuesday afternoon, sending three astronauts on the country's longest space trip, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

With 10 astronauts and six spacecraft launched into space in a decade, China is speeding up on the path of exploration and building a home for Chinese in the galaxy.

At a see-off ceremony, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that “mission's crew members carry a space dream of the Chinese nation, and represent the lofty aspirations of the Chinese people to explore space."

China is likely to launch a space station before 2016.