Shenzhou XX crew starts takeover work of Tiangong

Shenzhou XX crew members have begun to carry out takeover work of the Tiangong space station with the outgoing Shenzhou XIX astronauts.

The new arrivals — mission commander Senior Colonel Chen Dong and crew members Colonel Chen Zhongrui and Colonel Wang Jie — were launched by a Long March 2F carrier rocket on Thursday afternoon from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.

After flying approximately six-and-a-half hours, their spaceship docked with the front port on the Tianhe core module — Tiangong station's core component — at 11:49 pm, and they began preparatory work to enter the space station, which included changing into intravehicular work suits from their pressure suits and configuring their spaceship.

Meanwhile, their Shenzhou XIX comrades — mission commander Senior Colonel Cai Xuzhe, Lieutenant Colonel Song Lingdong and Lieutenant Colonel Wang Haoze — waited inside the connection cabin. After all preparations were done, Cai's team opened a hatch in the connection cabin at 1:17 am to welcome the new team of astronauts.

After embracing the Shenzhou XX comrades, Cai said that he wished to congratulate Chen Dong for his return to the Tiangong, which means Heavenly Palace in English, and also congratulated Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie for realizing their "spaceflight dreams". "In the following days, let us work together to make our 'space home' better," he said.

In response, Chen Dong said, "It feels great to return to the 'space home'. Let's make the best use of the next few days to finish the handover work."

The six crew members then took group photos to record the moment which marks the sixth in-orbit rendezvous of Chinese astronauts.

Both teams are scheduled to work together for about five days to ensure a smooth handover, after which the Shenzhou XIX crew will return to Earth, with their reentry capsule scheduled for touchdown on Tuesday, said the China Manned Space Agency.

As members of China's 15th manned spaceflight and the ninth group of residents aboard the Tiangong, the Shenzhou XX astronauts will carry out a variety of tasks over the next six months.