Wentian, the first lab module of China's space station, has successfully docked with the combination of the Tianhe core module, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

Hours later, Shenzhou-14 astronauts at the Tiangong space station entered the Wentian as scheduled.

The Wentian module, launched on Sunday afternoon, docked with the front port of Tianhe at 3:13am on Monday after it entered the planned orbit and completed state setting.

The whole process took approximately 13 hours, the CMSA said.

It is the first time that China's two 20-tonne-level spacecrafts conducted rendezvous and docking in orbit, and also the first time that space rendezvous and docking were carried out during the astronauts' in-orbit stay in the space station, according to the CMSA.

Shortly after 10am on Monday, the Shenzhou-14 crew entered the Wentian.

It's the first time the Chinese astronauts have entered the lab module in orbit.

The Wentian is designed for science and biology experiments, and the 23-ton lab module is heavier than any other single-module spacecraft currently in space, according to the Global Times.

It will be followed by a second lab module, the Mengtian, due to be launched in October. (Xinhua/AP)
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Last updated: 2022-07-25 HKT 11:34