This image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on Oct 26, 2023 shows the Shenzhou XVI and Shenzhou XVII crew posing for a group photo inside China's space station. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

JIUQUAN - The Shenzhou XVI taikonauts handed over control of the Tiangong space station to the newly arrived Shenzhou XVII crew on Sunday, said the China Manned Space Agency.

The two crews held a handover ceremony after the Shenzhou XVI taikonauts had completed all set tasks. They are due to return to Earth on Oct 31 aboard the Shenzhou XVI spaceship.

The Dongfeng Landing Site, located in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, is preparing for the return of Shenzhou XVI from space.

READ MORE: Shenzhou XVII astronauts join peers in Tiangong

This will be the fifth mission the landing site has conducted to recover a manned spacecraft and the crew.

Ground personnel have undergone various search and rescue exercises for the upcoming mission, the landing site said.