China launches Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceship

(ECNS)-- China launched the Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceship from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at 4:27 a.m. (Beijing Time) on Wednesday, sending three astronauts to the space station for a six-month mission. 

About 10 minutes after the launch, the spaceship separated from Long March-2F carrier rocket and entered its designated orbit, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

The spaceship will dock with the front port of the space station core module Tianhe in the orbit. 

The Shenzhou-19 crew consists of mission commander Cai Xuzhe, and astronauts Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze. 

Cai was a crew member of the Shenzhou-14 mission, who returned to Earth in 2022. With this ongoing mission, he set a new record for the shortest interval between two spaceflights for Chinese astronauts. 

Wang is currently China's only female space engineer and the third Chinese woman participating in a crewed spaceflight mission, the CMSA noted.

The crew's tasks ahead include conducting space science and application tests, performing extravehicular activities, installing protective devices against space debris, and managing the installation and recycling of extravehicular payloads and equipment, Lin Xiqiang, CMSA spokesperson told a press conference on Tuesday.