The launch of the Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceship is a complete success, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
China on Wednesday launched the Shenzhou-19 spaceship to send another three astronauts to its orbiting Tiangong space station.
The spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, blasted off at 04:27 (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, said the CMSA.
The Shenzhou-19 crew consists of mission commander Cai Xuzhe, and astronauts Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze. A send-off ceremony was held for the astronauts before they left for the launch site.
About 10 minutes after the launch, the Shenzhou-19 spaceship separated from the rocket and entered its designated orbit, said the CMSA.
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.
The three astronauts will complete an in-orbit rotation with the Shenzhou-18 trio and stay at the Tiangong space station for approximately six months.
The new crew has numerous tasks ahead, including conducting space science and application tests, performing extravehicular activities, installing protective devices against space debris, and managing the installation and recycling of extravehicular payloads and equipment.
They will also engage in science education, public interest activities, and other payload tests.
Shenzhou-19 is the 33rd flight mission of China's manned space program and the fourth manned mission during the application and development stage of China's space station.
China successfully launches Shenzhen-19 crewed spaceship
The year 2025 got off to a good start for fishermen and seafood farmers in Sichuan and Jiangsu with a bumper harvest of aquatic products on the New Year's Day.
Fishermen gathered at Shengzhong Lake in Nanchong City of southwest China's Sichuan Province early Wednesday morning to engage in the first fishing activity this year.
The freshly-caught fish were transferred to a transport ship before being sent to the shore for sorting and weighing.
Many businesspeople traveled a long way to the lake to buy the fish which have a long-standing reputation for good taste.
"We have been buying organic fish grown in Shengzhong Lake for many years. Their meat is tender and delicious. We sell a lot of the fish every day, usually 1,000 to 1,500 kilograms a day," said He Dengquan, a buyer from Guangyuan City in Sichuan.
Meanwhile, fishermen in the coastal city of Lianyungang in east China's Jiangsu Province returned from the sea, bringing back this year's first batch of seafood including mantis shrimps and swimming crabs to Ganyu District early Wednesday morning.
The fishermen started sorting the aquatic products as soon as they moved their harvest to the shore.
"In the Yellow Sea, we caught more than 150 kilograms of conchs, more than 100 kilograms of swimming crabs, and more than 50 kilograms of mantis shrimps," said Liang Yongtuan, a fisherman.
In Lianyun District of Lianyungang, 8,000 hectares of oysters are ready for harvest.
At a farm, oysters have become plump after more than three months of growth. Farmers have been busy pulling up cages of oysters onto boats.
"We grow oysters across this 666.67 hectares of sea, with an output of about 8.5 million kilograms. We have been harvesting the oysters and selling them to the market. This year we began harvesting a little later than last year, while the oyster's quality and price are very good," said Lin Bo, an oyster farmer.
Fishermen, seafood farmers embrace new year with good harvest in Sichuan, Jiangsu
