China launched the Shenzhou-19 manned spaceship on Wednesday, sending three taikonauts to space.

A Long March-2F carrier rocket blasted off with the spaceship at 4:27 a.m. from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China. The Shenzhou-19 crew, comprising mission commander Cai Xuzhe and members Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze, will stay in orbit for about six months.