Launch of Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceship a complete success: CMSA

The Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, is launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, Oct. 30, 2024. (Photo by Wang Jiangbo/Xinhua)

JIUQUAN, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- The launch of the Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceship is a complete success, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

China on Wednesday launched the Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceship，sending three astronauts — including the country's first female space engineer — to its orbiting space station for a six-month mission.

The spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, blasted off at 4:27 a.m. (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, said the CMSA.

About 10 minutes after the launch, the Shenzhou-19 spaceship separated from the rocket and entered its designated orbit, the CMSA said.

The spaceship will then perform a fast, automated rendezvous and docking with the front port of the space station core module Tianhe in about 6.5 hours, forming a combination of three modules and three spacecraft.

Shenzhou-19 is the 33rd flight mission of China's manned space program and the fourth manned mission during the application and development stage of China's space station.