Chinese Astronauts Return After Six-Month Mission

(MENAFN) Three Chinese space travelers from the Shenzhou-19 expedition made a safe journey back to Earth on Wednesday, following a six-month assignment aboard China’s Tiangong space outpost, as announced by state-run media.

The astronauts — Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong, and Wang Haoze — landed at the Dongfeng recovery site, located in the northern part of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, according to a report from a Chinese news agency.

Their descent had been postponed by a day due to unfavorable meteorological conditions.

The crew had launched in October and, during their prolonged orbit, they carried out a variety of scientific tasks and took part in upkeep of the domestically constructed space lab.

These three, often referred to in China as "taikonauts," contributed significantly to the space station's ongoing development.

Their time aboard came to an end when the Shenzhou-20 team officially assumed control of the station the previous week.

This new group, which includes Commander Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie, was launched last Thursday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China’s northwest.

They, too, are scheduled to remain in orbit for half a year.

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