Three Chinese astronauts won't be "stranded" in orbit for much longer.

A Long March 2F/G rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China tonight (Nov. 24) at 11:11 p.m. EST (0411 GMT and 12:11 p.m. on Nov. 25 Beijing time).

The rocket sent the Shenzhou 22 spacecraft toward China's Tiangong space station in low Earth orbit, on a dramatic and unprecedented rescue mission.

Shenzhou missions typically fly three astronauts to Tiangong, where they stay for six-month stints. However, the Shenzhou 22 vehicle is uncrewed, because it will serve as the ride home for the orbiting outpost's three current residents.

Those astronauts are flying on the Shenzhou 21 mission, which arrived at Tiangong on Halloween night. But the spacecraft they rode up on is already gone; it

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