Launched atop a Long March-2F rocket, the spaceship lifted off at 4:27 a.m. from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
About 10 minutes into the flight, the Shenzhou-19 separated from the rocket and reached its orbit. The crew is in good health, and the launch was deemed fully successful, said the CMSA.
The spaceship will now proceed to a rapid automated docking with the front port of the space station's core module, Tianhe, in about six and a half hours, forming a setup of three modules and three spacecraft.
The Shenzhou-19 crew includes mission commander Cai Xuzhe, along with astronauts Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze.
Cai, a veteran astronaut, previously flew on the Shenzhou-14 mission in 2022. This mission sets a record for the shortest time between two spaceflights by a Chinese astronaut.
Song and Wang, both members of China's third group of astronauts, are making their first trip to space and were both born in the 1990s.
Wang is currently China's only female space engineer and the third Chinese woman to participate in a crewed spaceflight, according to the CMSA.
