BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- The following is a summary of published science and technology news of China.

ASTRONAUTS TO RETURN

The Shenzhou-12 spaceship completed circumnavigation and radial rendezvous tests at 1:38 p.m. (Beijing Time) Thursday, and the three astronauts will start their way home.

The tests successfully verified the radial rendezvous technology, laying an important technical foundation for the following manned missions, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

SHENZHOU-12

The spacecraft Shenzhou-12, which is carrying Chinese astronauts Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo, separated from the space station core module Tianhe at 8:56 a.m. Thursday (Beijing Time).

The three astronauts have lived and worked in Tianhe for 90 days, the longest stay in space by Chinese astronauts, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

TIANZHOU-3 CARGO SPACECRAFT

The combination of the Tianzhou-3 cargo spacecraft and a Long March-7 Y4 carrier rocket has been transferred to the launching area of the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site, the China Manned Space Agency said Thursday.

The CMSA said the Tianzhou-3 cargo spacecraft will be launched in the near future at an appropriate time.

BATTERY MATERIALS

Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd. (CATL), China's largest automotive lithium-ion battery maker, announced on Thursday a framework agreement with German chemical giant BASF on battery materials solutions, including cathode active materials (CAM) and battery recycling.

Aimed at developing a sustainable battery value chain to support CATL's localization in Europe, the collaboration will support both companies' commitment to global carbon neutrality.