BEIJING, April 25 (Xinhua) — The following is a summary of published science and technology news of China.

SHENZHOU-18 LAUNCH

China on Thursday launched the Shenzhou-18 manned spaceship that will send three taikonauts to the orbiting Tiangong space station for a six-month mission.

The spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, blasted off at 8:59 p.m. (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.

About 10 minutes after the launch, the Shenzhou-18 spaceship separated from the rocket and entered its designated orbit. The crew members are in good shape and the launch is a “complete success,” the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced.

LUNAR LANDING MISSION

China’s lunar landing mission is being carried out smoothly, as its component systems are under research and development as planned, announced a senior official with the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) at a press conference on Wednesday.

The project development of major flight products, such as the Long March-10 carrier rocket, the manned spacecraft Mengzhou, the lunar lander Lanyue and the lunar landing suit, has been completed, and their prototype production and tests are being carried out, said Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the CMSA.

INVENTION PATENTS

Over 1,700 universities and research institutions in China have compiled an inventory of 914,000 patents to date, the country’s IP regulator said on Wednesday.

Among these patents, 636,000 are invention patents, accounting for 60 percent of all effective invention patents held by universities and research institutions, Shen Changyu, head of the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), said at a press conference.