CHANGE: Chinese Spaceship Blasts Off From Gobi Desert. “A Chinese spaceship blasted off Tuesday from a launch center in the Gobi Desert, carrying three astronauts on what is expected to be the Asian giant’s longest crewed mission yet.”

Reader Doug Levene writes: “The last American space launch was 2 years ago. When they write the history of the 21st century, and note how a rising China left behind a stumbling America, this will be one of the moments they note.” Well, tempering that is how well the commercial space sector is doing.