China's Shenzhou-19 crewed spacecraft was successfully launched atop a Long March-2F launch vehicle at 4:27 a.m. Wednesday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.
About 10 minutes after launch, the spacecraft separated from the rocket and entered a predetermined orbit. The crew of Shenzhou-19 is in good condition.
"The launch of the Shenzhou-19 manned spacecraft is a complete success," announced the China Manned Flying Agency.
Approximately 6.5 hours after launch, the spacecraft performed a quick automatic rendezvous and docked at the forward port of Tianhe, the base module of the Chinese space station, creating a combination of three modules and three spacecraft.
The three Taikonauts on board, Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze, then entered the base module to meet the Shenzhou-18 trio. They will complete an orbital rotation with their colleagues and will remain on the space station for approximately six months. During the mission, they will see the arrival of the Tianzhou-8 cargo ship and the Shenzhou-20 crewed spacecraft. The Shenzhou-18 crew is scheduled to return to the Dongfeng landing site in northern China on 4 November.
Shenzhou-19 mission commander Cai participated in the Shenzhou-14 mission in 2022.
Wang previously served as a senior engineer at the Academy of Space Propulsion Technology at the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. She is currently China's only female spaceflight engineer and the third Chinese woman to embark on a manned space mission. Song is a former air force pilot.
The Taikonauts will conduct space science and application tests, conduct extraterrestrial activities, install protective devices against space debris, and install and recycle extraterrestrial payloads and equipment. They will also participate in science education, public outreach activities and other payload tests.
A total of 86 space science research and technology experiments will be carried out, covering the fields of space life science, fundamental physics in microgravity, space materials science, space medicine and new space technologies.
The return to the Dongfeng landing site in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region is scheduled for late April or early May 2025.
The Shenzhou-19 mission is the fourth manned mission in the application and development phase of China's space station and the 33rd mission of the country's manned space program.
PHOTO - Xinhua/Wang Jiangbo
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