JIUQUAN, China (AP) — A spaceship carrying three astronauts docked Thursday with China’s space station in the latest crew rotation, marking a further step in the country’s ambitions for a crewed mission to the moon and explore Mars.

China launched three astronauts to its Tiangong space station via the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft, marking the 15th crewed flight in its expansive space program. The successful mission underscores China's growing influence in space exploration,