Jiuquan: China is set to launch the Shenzhou-22 spaceship on Tuesday, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said on Monday, according to state media. The spaceship will be launched from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China.

According to Anadolu Agency, the Shenzhou-22 launch follows the recent return of the Shenzhou-21 spaceship, which brought home three Chinese astronauts last week. The return was delayed by nine days due to the spacecraft being hit by suspected space debris. On November 5, the CMSA announced that the crew's return was postponed due to a likely impact on Shenzhou-20 from tiny orbital debris, which did not meet the safety requirements for the astronauts' return, resulting in the crew remaining in orbit for a longer period.

The Shenzhou-21 mission, which was China's sixth crewed flight, included three astronauts, known locally as taikonauts, along with the country's youngest-ever astronaut and four mice. These mice returned with the crew of the Shenzhou-20 spaceship last week. The Shenzhou-22 spaceship aims to dock with China's indigenous Tiangong space station shortly after its launch on November 25.