BEIJING: Three astronauts on China’s Shenzhou-18 spacecraft on Friday entered the nation’s space station and rendezvoused with another trio of astronauts, marking the beginning of a fresh cycle of crew handover in orbit, China Central Television reported.

Commander Ye Guangfu and crew members Li Cong and Li Guangsu achieved their destination following the spaceship’s swift, automated rendezvous and docking with the radial port of the Tianhe core module of the space station at 03:32 on Friday (Beijing Time).

At 05:04 (Beijing Time), the crew of Shenzhou-17, currently on board the space station, unlocked the hatch and welcomed the new arrivals.

The gathering of the two crews in space marked the beginning of China’s fourth crew rotation aboard the space station. The China Manned Space Agency stated that the six astronauts will collaborate for approximately five days, completing scheduled tasks and transitioning responsibilities.

Source: Emirates News Agency