Live: Xi talks with Shenzhou 10 crew

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[8:46:06]Xi Jinping shakes hands with the technicians at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center.

[8:45:17]Xi Jinping: We hope you continue your good work and successfully fulfill your space mission. We are all hoping for your safe return. We will be waiting for you in Beijing!

[8:45:01]Xi Jinping: We are very happy to see you are doing well in every aspect. It's reassuring a couple of days ago you gave a space lecture to middle and primary school students from across the country.

[8:42:05]Wang Yaping: Our food and daily life is quite normal. We can rest for seven or eight hours every day. I was a one-off space teacher. For me, that was a step forward.

[8:41:43]Zhang Xiaoguang: We are quickly getting used to the zero gravity environment. Our experiments are going smoothly. We will try our very best to fulfill our duties to the max.

[8:41]Xi Jinping: The space dream is of great importance to the nation. I would like to ask Xiaoguang and Yaping, since it is your first time in space, how are you dealing with everything?

[8:40:38]Nie Haisheng: Thank you President Xi for your concern. The three of us are physically doing very well, and our work is going as planned. We feel very proud to be contributing to China's space dream.

[8:40:19]Xi Jinping: You have been living and working in space for 13 days now. How are you doing both physically and with your work?

[8:40:00]Nie Haisheng: Thank you President Xi and thank you to the nation and my fellow citizens.

[8:39:05]Xi Jinping: Haisheng, Xiaoguang and Yaping, how are you? People across the entire nation are anxiously watching the three of you. I hereby extend my sincere regards to you on behalf of the CPC Central Committee, the State Council, the Military Commission of the CPC Central Committee and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups.

[8:36]China's top leaders arrive at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center.

President Xi Jinping delivered a speech after Shenzhou 10 spacecraft was launched successfully. He highlighted the Space Dream that China has pursued continuously by developing the space program and turning the country into a space power. The president also said:

The mission of the Shenzhou-10 Manned Spacecraft is of great significance for the country's efforts to consolidate and improve the rendezvous and docking technology and promote the development of space lab and space station.

Nie Haisheng is of Han nationality and a member of the Communist Party of China (CPC).Nie, who holds a masters degree, was born in September 1964. He was recruited by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in June 1983 and joined the CPC in December 1986. Currently, he is a Major General and a Premium Astronaut of the PLA.Nie served as a navigation director of a PLA Air Force division and a first-class pilot of the Air Force with 1,480 flight hours. He was selected to become one of China's first astronauts in January 1998. In October 2005, Nie Haisheng successfully carried out the Shenzhou-6 space mission. In April 2013, Nie was selected to be a prime crew member of the Shenzhou-10 space mission.

Nie said to the students at the end of the space lecture:

I hope all of you will study hard, learn more and contribute to the Chinese dream.

Female astronaut Wang Yaping is a native of Yantai City in east China's Shandong Province. Born in 1980, Wang is of Han nationality and holds a bachelor's degree. Wang was recruited to the People's Liberation Army in 1997 and became a member of the Communist Party of China in May 2000. Currently, she is a major. In 2010, Wang became a member of the second batch of Chinese astronauts and was selected to the crew of the Shenzhou-10 space mission in April 2013. Wang will be China's first astronaut to give lectures to middle and elementary school students while in orbit.

Wang said ahead of the launch of Shenzhou 10 spacecraft:

We are all students in facing the vast universe. We are looking forward to joining our young friends to learn and explore the mystical and beautiful universe.

Zhang Xiaoguang is a native of Jinzhou City of northeast China's Liaoning Province. Born in May 1966, Zhang is of the Manchu ethnic group. Zhang joined the Chinese army in June 1985 and became a member of the Communist Party of China in August 1988. In January 1998, Zhang was trained as one of China's first batch of astronauts and now is a member of the astronaut brigade of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). He now holds the rank of a senior colonel. Before he was trained as an astronaut, Zhang was a senior pilot and has a record of 1,000 hours of safe flying. He has passed a comprehensive tests for astronauts, which consisted of basic theories, endurance and space engineering. In April 2013, he was enlisted as a crew member of the Shenzhou-10 manned spacecraft mission.

Zhang said to the students during the space lecture:

Outer space is deep and has numerous mysteries. Exploration is limitless and we should work together in this regard

American astronauts and aerospace scholars extended their congratulations on the successful launch of Shenzhou 10.

Timothy Swindell, Dean of the Celestial Chemistry Department, University of Arizona, citing the successful Shenzhou 9 mission as the reason for his confidence in the current mission:

China's manned space technology is advancing steadily. I’m sure Shenzhou 10 mission will be carried out in a smooth way. I will continue to focus on the development of this task with great interest.

Michael Ridge, UCLA astronomy expert:

"Scientific and technological cooperation will not only reduce the cost of space exploration but also serve as the bridge of understanding and friendship. I have worked with a number of Chinese scientists. All of them are very good."

Barbara Morgan, former NASA astronaut and first female Teacher in Space Participant, said:

The entire world is excited about the successful launch of China's Shenzhou 10 spacecraft mission. Congratulations on the successful launch of the Shenzhou 10.