China's Shenzhou 18 crew has officially transferred control of the Tiangong space station to the newly arrived Shenzhou 19 astronauts. The Shenzhou 19 mission launched on a Long March 2F rocket from Jiuquan spaceport in northwest China on October 29, arriving at Tiangong just 6.5 hours later.
At 12:51 a.m. EDT (0451 GMT) on October 30, the hatch between the Shenzhou 19 spacecraft and the Tiangong space station was opened, facilitating a warm greeting between the three astronauts of the outgoing Shenzhou 18 mission and their successors.
The formal handover took place on November 1, where Shenzhou 18 commander Ye Guangfu, who recently became China's first astronaut to accumulate a total of 365 days in space, symbolically passed a key to Shenzhou 19 commander Cai Xuzhe. Both crews engaged in a handshake to mark the occasion.
The Shenzhou 19 crew is noted for being the youngest cohort to date, with commander Cai, aged 48, and first-time astronauts Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze, both born in 1990. Wang is recognized as China's only female spaceflight engineer.
The new crew will embark on a six-month mission aboard Tiangong, focusing on 86 planned scientific projects and experiments, including extravehicular activities or spacewalks. A significant experiment involves sending a brick made from lunar soil simulant to Tiangong, where it will be placed outside the station. Researchers aim to study the durability of these bricks in extreme conditions to inform future lunar outpost plans. The brick is scheduled to arrive via the Tianzhou 8 cargo resupply mission later in November.
Meanwhile, Ye and his Shenzhou 18 crewmates, Li Cong and Li Guangsu, are preparing for their return, expected to land in the Dongfeng area near Jiuquan spaceport on November 3.