On Sunday morning, three taikonauts returned to Earth after working for 186 days at the Tiangong space station. They were replaced by three other taikonauts, including a Chinese civilian involved for the first time in the mission. The “Shenzhou 15” space capsule landed safely after a nine-hour journey in the Dongfeng administrative unit, northeast of the Jiuquan space station in the Gobi desert.
The crew consisted of 58-year-old commander Feng Junlong, Deng Qingming, and Zhang Lu. Following their safe return to Earth, ground control reported that they were all in good health and eager to reunite with their families. The taikonauts also expressed their gratitude to everyone involved in supporting their space mission.
Chinese state television broadcasted the re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere live, according to reports from the daily news. Previously, four manned missions to the Tiangong space station have taken place. Before their return to Earth, the two crews spent a few days together in space.
Their return to Earth is thought to have occurred on Saturday, as there was no official announcement for the return in advance. Nonetheless, their safe return marks a noteworthy achievement for China’s space program.
