The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said the Shenzhou-21 spaceship made a fast, autonomous rendezvous and docking with the front port of the Tiangong space station's core module Tianhe. It said the exercise took place at 3.22 am, about 3.5 hours after the spaceship blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, powered by a Long March-2F rocket.

The Tiangong space station - crewed by teams of three astronauts that are exchanged every six months - is the crown jewel of China's space programme.

Mission commander and veteran space pilot Zhang Lu is accompanied by 32-year-old flight engineer Wu Fei, China's youngest astronaut to undertake a space mission, and payload specialist Zhang Hongzhang, 39.

The Shenzhou-21 crew were also joined by four black mice, the first small mammals to be taken to the space station. The mice will be used in experiments on reproduction in low Earth orbit.

In addition to advancing scientific research, the Shenzhou-21 crew is expected to go on spacewalks and install anti-debris shields on the exterior of the space station. (Xinhua and agencies)