JIUQUAN, June 16 (Xinhua) -- China's Shenzhou-9 spacecraft on a Long March-2F carrier rocket blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China in late Saturday afternoon.

Commander-in-chief of China's manned space program Chang Wanquan announced later that Shenzhou-9 spacecraft had accurately entered its orbit, calling the spaceship launch a success.