Jiuquan: A send-off ceremony for the three Chinese astronauts of the Shenzhou-21 crewed space mission was held Friday at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

According to Namibia Press Agency, astronauts Zhang Lu, Wu Fei, and Zhang Hongzhang set off at 8:49 p.m. (Beijing Time), as stated by the CMSA.

As of Friday, the Shenzhou-20 crew has stayed in the orbiting Tiangong space station for over 180 days and is preparing for the arrival of the Shenzhou-21 crew.