Shenzhou-19 spaceship separates from space station combination

This image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on April 25, 2025 shows a group photo of the crew of Shenzhou-19 and Shenzhou-20 manned spaceships. [Photo/Xinhua]

China's Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceship separated from the space station combination at 4 a.m. (Beijing Time) on Wednesday, and the astronauts aboard -- Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze -- started to return to Earth, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

The spaceship is scheduled to return to the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Wednesday.

The CMSA said that prior to the separation, the Shenzhou-19 crew, with the assistance of the ground staff, completed various tasks such as setting the status of the space station combination, processing and transmitting the experimental data, and transferring remaining supplies. The Shenzhou-19 crew also carried out handover work and exchanged in-orbit work experience with the Shenzhou-20 crew.

The return of the Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceship, originally scheduled for Tuesday, had been postponed due to unfavorable windy weather at the Dongfeng landing site, according to the CMSA.

The agency added that the meteorological conditions at the Dongfeng landing site meet the mission requirements at present, and all preparations have been made to welcome the crew's return.

China launched the Shenzhou-20 crewed spaceship on April 24, sending three astronauts Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie to the space station for another six-month mission.