The spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China, said the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

About 10 minutes after launch, the Shenzhou-19 spaceship separated from the rocket and entered its designated orbit. The crew members are in good shape and the launch was a complete success, the CMSA announced.

The Shenzhou-19 crew consists of mission commander Cai Xuzhe, and astronauts Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze. The spaceship will perform a fast, automated rendezvous and docking with the front port of the space station core module Tianhe in about 6.5 hours, forming a combination of three modules and three spacecraft.

Shenzhou-19 is the 33rd flight mission of China's manned space program and the fourth manned mission during the development stage of China's space station. The Shenzhou-19 astronauts will complete an in-orbit rotation with the Shenzhou-18 trio and stay at the space station for approximately six months.