BEIJING - The spacecraft Shenzhou XIII, which is carrying Chinese astronauts Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu, separated from the space station core module Tianhe at 12:44 am Saturday (Beijing Time).

The three astronauts have lived and worked in the space station complex for 183 days, the longest stay in space by Chinese astronauts on a single mission, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

Prior to the separation, the astronauts had completed various works, such as setting the status of the space station complex, sorting and downloading experiment data, and clearing and transferring supplies kept in orbit, with support from sci-tech staff on the ground, the CMSA said.

The crew will soon start their journey home as the Shenzhou XIII spacecraft reenters the Earth atmosphere at an appropriate time under ground control.

The three Chinese astronauts were sent into space onboard the Shenzhou XIII spaceship and entered Tianhe on Oct 16, 2021. They have completed multiple tasks over the past few months, including two extravehicular activities, two live science lectures, and a number of sci-tech experiments and application projects.