China - October 29, 2024 A send-off ceremony for the three astronauts of the Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceflight mission was held on Wednesday at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China. The Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceship is scheduled to blast off at 04:27 Wednesday (Beijing Time) from the launch site to China's Tiangong space station. Astronauts Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze, reported to the commander-in-chief of China's manned space program Xu Xueqiang that they were ready to undertake their mission. After receiving an order from the commander-in-chief, the astronauts boarded a vehicle and departed for the launch site amid cheers from a crowd of well-wishers. The three astronauts will take over the command of the Tiangong space station after completing an in-orbit handover with their colleagues of the Shenzhou-18 mission. The trio is expected to stay in orbit for around six months. [Restriction: No access Chinese mainland]