A group of three Chinese astronauts returned to Earth on Saturday after 183 days, the longest manned space mission to date for China’s ambitious space program.
State television CCTV reported on Saturday that the group – consisting of two men and one woman – landed safely in a small Shenzhou 13 capsule at 9:56 a.m. Beijing time (2.56 BST) after spending more than six months in the main Tianhe module of the Chinese Tiangong, or “heavenly palace”, space station.
Prior to that, the longest manned space mission China sent to Tiangun was three months.
Astronauts Wang Yaping, Jai Jigang and Ye Guangfu told CCTV that they were “feeling well” after the six-month mission, after landing Shenzhou 13 in the Gobi Desert in the northern region of Inner Mongolia.
During the mission, Wang became the first Chinese woman to go into space, and the three also taught physics lessons from space to high school students.
The main module of Tiangong Tianhe was launched in April last year. Beijing has outlined plans to complete construction of the space station this year by adding two more modules, but authorities have not yet announced a date for the launch of Tiangong’s next crew.
On Tuesday, President Xi Jinping visited the launch site in Wenchang, on the southern island of Hainan, from which the Tianhe module was launched into orbit.
“Persevere in pursuing the boundaries of global aerospace development and the basic strategic needs of the national outer space,” Mr Xi told staff, all dressed in military uniforms.
China has been expelled from the International Space Station due to US fears that its space program is run by the ruling Communist Party’s People’s Liberation Army.
China was the third nation to launch an astronaut into space on its own after the former Soviet Union and the United States.
China launched its first astronaut into space in 2003 and landed rover robots on the moon in 2013 and on Mars last year. Authorities have discussed a possible mission with a crew to the moon.
The government announced in 2020 that China’s first reusable spacecraft had landed after a successful test flight, but no photos or details of the vehicle were released.
Additional reporting by agencies
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