China launches its Wentian space laboratory on July 24, 2022, sending the country's largest-ever spacecraft to Earth's orbit to become part of the Tiangong space station. (ZHU XINGXIN / CHINA DAILY)

China launched its Wentian space laboratory on Sunday afternoon, sending the country's largest-ever spacecraft into Earth's orbit to become part of the Tiangong space station.

Encased in a 20.5-meter-long payload, the space lab was carried by a Long March 5B rocket that blasted off at 2:22 pm from a coastal service tower in the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province.

After a flight of about eight minutes, the rocket placed the craft into a low-Earth orbit nearly 400 kilometers above the ground. At 3:13 am Monday (Beijing Time) after approximately 13 hours of flight, the Wentian module docked with the front port of Tianhe.

Simulated image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on July 25, 2022 shows that Wentian lab module has successfully docked with the front port of Tianhe core module combination. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

Simulated image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on July 25, 2022 shows Wentian lab module has successfully docked with the front port of Tianhe core module combination. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

Screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on July 25, 2022 shows that Wentian lab module has successfully docked with the front port of Tianhe core module combination. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

At 10:03 am on Monday (Beijing Time), the Shenzhou XIV mission crew now flying with the Tiangong－mission commander Senior Colonel Chen Dong, Senior Colonel Liu Yang and Senior Colonel Cai Xuzhe－opened the hatch door of Wentian and entered the lab module.

It was the first time the Chinese astronauts had entered the lab module in orbit.

The Shenzhou XIV mission crew - mission commander Senior Colonel Chen Dong (center), Senior Colonel Liu Yang (right) and Senior Colonel Cai Xuzhe－are seen inside the Wentian lab module on Monday, July 25, 2022. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

At 10:03 am on Monday (Beijing Time), the Shenzhou XIV mission commander Senior Colonel Chen Dong opens the hatch door of Wentian. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

The Shenzhou XIV mission commander Senior Colonel Chen Dong enters the Wentian lab module on Monday, July 25, 2022. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

Screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on July 25, 2022 shows that Wentian lab module has successfully docked with the front port of Tianhe core module combination. (PHOTO / XINHUA)