Shenzhou-19 taikonauts complete handover, set to return on April 29

China's Shenzhou-19 crew handed over the keys to the China Space Station to the Shenzhou-20 crew at a ceremony on Sunday and is set to return to Earth on April 29, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

"This key symbolizes not only the handover between our two crews, but also a sense of mission and responsibility. Now, I'm handing the key into your hands, and you will be responsible for managing, caring for and maintaining the space station," said Cai Xuzhe, commander of the Shenzhou-19 crew, accompanied by members Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze.

Chen Dong, commander of the Shenzhou-20 crew, thanked the Shenzhou-19 trio for their diligent care of the space station.

"Thank you, Shenzhou-19 crew, for taking such good care of our space home. During these few days of handover, we have learned a lot of valuable experience and practices. We assure you and our country and the people that we will, just like you, carefully and meticulously complete every task and do our part well," said Chen.

The Shenzhou-20 spacecraft, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on Thursday, sending astronauts Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie to space.

At present, final preparations are underway across all participating systems and the landing site is ready to welcome the trio back.