Beijing, China - China launched an urgent unmanned spacecraft on Tuesday in a desperate attempt to rescue a crew of astronauts who have found themselves stranded in orbit.

The Long March-2F rocket carrying Shenzhou-22 lifted off shortly after midday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China, footage from state broadcaster CCTV showed.

Recent Shenzhou missions have been used to crew China's Tiangong space station, exchanging teams of three astronauts every six months.

Shenzhou-22 was originally slated for a crewed launch in 2026.

China China lashes out at US over massive multi-million arms sale to Taiwan

But it took off early and unmanned after a suspected space debris strike to the Shenzhou-20 return capsule made it unsafe for re-entry to Earth, leaving its crew briefly stranded.

The Shenzhou-20 team returned aboard Shenzhou-21 on November 14 – nine days later than planned – leaving their relief crew without a reliable return vehicle.

The accelerated launch ensures Shenzhou-21 astronauts Zhang Lu, Wu Fei, and Zhang Hongzhang have a safe return option.

The three were "working normally and in good condition", the China Manned Space Agency said Monday before the Shenzhou-22 launch.

China has been excluded from the International Space Station since 2011, when the US banned NASA from collaborating with Beijing.