China will launch Shenzhou-16 mission to Chinese space station on May 30

Astronauts Jing Haipeng, Zhu Yangzhu and Gui Haichao attend a press conference before the Shenzhou-16 spaceflight mission to China's space station, at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, near Jiuquan, Gansu province, China May 29, 2023. China Daily via REUTERS

China will send three astronauts to its now fully operational space station on Tuesday as part of a crew rotation, in the fifth manned mission to the Chinese space outpost since 2021, the China Manned Space Agency announced on Monday.

The spacecraft Shenzhou-16 will lift off atop a Long March 2F rocket at 9:31 a.m (0131 GMT).

(Reporting by Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Christopher Cushing)