(MENAFN) China’s Shenzhou-20 astronauts have completed their handover with the Shenzhou-21 team aboard the Chinese Space Station, the China Manned Space Agency (CMS) confirmed on Tuesday.

During a brief ceremony, the crews formally transferred control of the space station, CMS stated on social media. The Shenzhou-20 team is slated to return to Earth on Nov. 5, after spending 188 days in orbit.

Commander Chen Dong set records as the first Chinese astronaut to accumulate over 400 days in space and now holds the highest number of spacewalks among Chinese taikonauts, with six extravehicular activities completed.

Earlier, China launched its sixth crewed mission to the Tiangong space station, carrying three astronauts—including the country’s youngest-ever space traveler—and four mice, marking the first time these animals are being used for experiments on the station.

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