China Chinese space travelers returned safely to Earth

SDA

4.11.2024 - 06:12

The Chinese space travelers on the "Shenzhou 18" (Magic Ship) mission have returned safely to Earth.

Keystone-SDA

The three men Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu landed in the early morning (local time) in the Gobi Desert in Inner Mongolia in northern China, as reported by the official news agency Xinhua.

Less than an hour after landing, all the taikonauts had left the capsule, according to the Chinese Human Spaceflight Administration. They were reported to be in good health.

The men had set off for the "Tiangong" (Heavenly Palace) space station at the end of April this year and had spent around six months in space.

Among other things, they carried out work outside the station as well as various scientific experiments. In May, they completed the longest spacewalk ever carried out by the Chinese.

Before their return, the space travelers welcomed the new inhabitants of the space station. The "Shenzhou 19" mission reached the "Tiangong" last Wednesday. The team, also consisting of three people, including commander Cai Xuzhe (48), engineer Wang Haoze (34) and former air force pilot Song Lingdong (34), will also remain in space for six months.