China took today another significant step in its ambitious space program with the launch of the Shenzhou-19 mission. The spacecraft, carried into orbit by the Long March-2F carrier rocket, took off at 4:27 am local time from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the northwest of the country. The announcement was made by the China Manned Space Agency (Cmsa).

Three astronauts, including Wang Haoze, the country's third female space engineer, were on board the Shenzhou-19, heading to the Chinese space station for a six-month stay. The launch was confirmed when the capsule separated from the rocket about ten minutes after launch, reached its planned orbit, and then docked about 6.5 hours after launch through the front hatch of the Tianhe core module of the Tiangong (Heavenly Palace) space station, forming a combination of three modules and three spacecraft.

The Shenzhou-19 is the 33rd manned space mission of China's space program, and the fourth manned one in the current development stage of the Tiangong space station. Shenzhou-19 mission commander Cai Xuzhe and crewmates Song Lingdong, an Air Force pilot, and Wang Haoze joined Shenzhou-18 astronauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu, who arrived on Tiangong last April. They will soon hand over control of the space station to the new arrivals and prepare for re-entry to Earth. The landing is scheduled for 12:00 noon on Nov. 3 at the Dongfeng landing area near the Jiuquan spaceport.

In the two videos below, the launch, and the docking: