Chinese astronauts begin crew handover aboard Tiangong space station VIDEO

Three astronauts aboard China’s Shenzhou-23 spacecraft have entered the Tiangong space station and joined another astronaut team, marking the start of a new in-orbit crew rotation, according to state media.

The meeting took place on May 25, with the combined crews taking group photographs during what was described as the eighth such space gathering in China’s human spaceflight history, Global Times reports. 

The three astronauts aboard China's Shenzhou-23 spaceship have entered the Tiangong space station and met with another astronaut trio on Monday, starting a new round of in-orbit crew handover, according to Xinhua. The two crews then took group pictures for the eighth space… pic.twitter.com/uSdfLFUGhg

— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) May 25, 2026

The Shenzhou-23 mission launched on May 24 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwestern China aboard a Long March 2F rocket. The crew consists of taikonauts Zhu Yangzhu, Zhang Zhiyuan, and Li Jiaying, according to government sources.

Li Jiaying is the first Hong Kong resident to take part in a Chinese space mission.

The new crew is set to replace the station’s current occupants: Zhang Lu, Wu Fei, and Zhang Hongzhang, as part of a planned rotation aboard the Tiangong space station.

Chinese authorities said that one astronaut from the incoming crew is expected to remain in orbit for approximately one year, marking the first time China will conduct such a long-duration human spaceflight. The assignment for the extended mission has not yet been confirmed.

Officials said the experiment will allow scientists to study the physiological and psychological effects of long-term space habitation on the human body.

The previous crew has already spent 203 days in orbit and is expected to set a new national record for the longest Chinese crewed space mission.

By Sabina Mammadli