JIUQUAN, Nov. 3 -- China's Shenzhou-18 manned spaceship separated from the space station combination at 16:12 on Sunday, and the astronauts aboard -- Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu -- are returning to Earth, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

The CMSA said that prior to the separation, the Shenzhou-18 crew, with the assistance of the ground staff, completed various tasks such as setting the status of the space station combination, processing and transmitting the experimental data, and transferring remaining supplies, and then carried out handover work with the Shenzhou-19 crew.

China launched the Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceship on Oct. 30, sending three astronauts Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze to its space station for another six-month mission.