Astronauts on the Shenzhou-21 manned spaceship were greeted by the Shenzhou-20 crew, who they will be replacing, after successfully docking with China's Tiangong space station in orbit on Saturday to begin the handover of duties. The spaceship blasted off atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket at 23:44 Friday (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China. At 03:22 Saturday, after entering orbit, the Shenzhou-21 spaceship successfully docked with the front port of the Tianhe core module of the Tiangong space station. The Shenzhou-21 crew consists of mission commander Zhang Lu, who was previously a member of the Shenzhou-15 mission, alongside flight engineer Wu Fei and payload specialist Zhang Hongzhang, each embarking on their first spaceflight mission. The Shenzhou-20 crew opened the hatch to welcome the new arrivals at 04:58 (Beijing Time), according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). The subsequent greetings were captured on camera. "You all look really good. First, on behalf of the Shenzhou-20 crew, I'd like to welcome you to our home in space. This is my second time meeting Zhang Lu in space, so we know each other pretty well. Don't worry, there have been many new changes in the space station that you can explore at your own pace. Since you are the new faces here, everything is fresh and exciting, and from this moment on, you're embarking on a brand new journey of space exploration," said Chen Dong, commander of the Shenzhou-20 mission. "This is my second time coming to the space station, and it still feels quite familiar. I really appreciate how well you all have kept everything organized and tidy. A big thank you to commander Chen Dong, along with Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie, for your hard work over the past six months. We'll be taking over from you and will make sure to keep the space station running smoothly," said Zhang Lu, commander of the Shenzhou-21 mission. Space station newcomers in the Shenzhou-21 crew thanked their predecessors for their hard work over the past six months and said they were looking forward to the handover. "When the hatch door opened, I felt amazing to have the family welcoming us. It was so heartwarming! I'm sure that with your help over the next few days, we'll get used to life in space in no time," said Wu Fei, a Shenzhou-21 astronaut. "We've been looking forward to this day for a long time. In the coming days, we will learn as much as we can from you. We'll make sure the handover goes smoothly," said Zhang Hongzhang, another member of the new crew. The Shenzhou-20 crew members warmly welcomed the new arrivals, expressing their excitement about working together. "I'm really happy to have friends from Earth visiting! Over the next few days, I'll show you around, and we can explore the three-spacecraft and three-module combination together," said Chen Zhongrui, a Shenzhou-20 astronaut. "Opportunities to come together in space are rare, and I'm really happy you're here! Over the next few days, let's complete the handover together and get used to the joy of life and work up here," said Wang Jie, another Shenzhou-20 crewmember. The six crew members then took group pictures for the seventh space get-together in China's aerospace history. They will live and work together for about five days to complete planned tasks and handover work, the CMSA said. The video shows: In Space - Nov 1, 2025 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 1. Shenzhou-20 crew opening hatch door for Shenzhou-21 crew to enter Tiangong space station 2. Split screens showing Shenzhou-20 crew greeting Shenzhou-21 crew 3. Shenzhou-21 mission commander Zhang Lu entering Tiangong space station In Space/Beijing, China - Nov 1, 2025 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 4. Split screens showing Shenzhou-20, Shenzhou-21 crew in Tianhe core module, staff of central command at Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center In Space - Nov 1, 2025 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 5. Shenzhou-20, Shenzhou-21 crew talking in Tianhe core module UPSOUND (Chinese) Chen Dong, commander, Shenzhou-20 spaceflight mission crew: "You all look really good. First, on behalf of the Shenzhou-20 crew, I'd like to welcome you to our home in space. This is my second time meeting Zhang Lu in space, so we know each other pretty well. Don't worry, there have been many new changes in the space station that you can explore at your own pace. Since you are the new faces here, everything is fresh and exciting, and from this moment on, you're embarking on a brand new journey of space exploration." UPSOUND (Chinese) Zhang Lu, commander, Shenzhou-21 spaceflight mission crew: "Thank you. This is my second time coming to the space station, and it still feels quite familiar. I really appreciate how well you all have kept everything organized and tidy. A big thank you to commander Chen Dong, along with Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie, for your hard work over the past six months. We'll be taking over from you and will make sure to keep the space station running smoothly." UPSOUND (Chinese) Wu Fei, crew member, Shenzhou-21 spaceflight mission: "When the hatch door opened, I felt amazing to have the family welcoming us. It was so heartwarming! I'm sure that with your help over the next few days, we'll get used to life in space in no time." UPSOUND (Chinese) Zhang Hongzhang, crew member, Shenzhou-21 spaceflight mission: "We've been looking forward to this day for a long time. In the coming days, we will learn as much as we can from you. We'll make sure the handover goes smoothly." UPSOUND (Chinese) Chen Zhongrui, crew member, Shenzhou-20 spaceflight mission: "I'm really happy to have friends from Earth visiting! Over the next few days, I'll show you around, and we can explore the three-spacecraft and three-module combination together." UPSOUND (Chinese) Wang Jie, crew member, Shenzhou-20 spaceflight mission: "Opportunities to come together in space are rare, and I'm really happy you're here! Over the next few days, let's complete the handover together and get used to the joy of life and work up here." 6. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Shenzhou-20, Shenzhou-21 astronauts speaking in unison: "Building our dreams in Tiangong and continuing to work hard! China's space station is always worth looking forward to!" [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]