The crew of China’s Shenzhou 18 returned home after spending more than six months in space.
Astronauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong, and Li Guangxiu have been staying at China’s Tiangong Space Station since April 25 this year. They completed their mission on Sunday (Nov. 3) and landed at the Dongfeng landing site in northern China.
The landing occurred at approximately 12:24 pm ET (17:24 GMT, 12:24 am Beijing time on November 4). According to the China Manned Space Administration, all three astronauts are reported to be in good health.
Related: China launches three astronauts to Tiangong Space Station on Shenzhou 19 mission (video)
This is the second time astronauts have landed on Dongfeng during the night. Observation and search and rescue teams tracked the capsule using infrared thermal imaging equipment.
Before leaving the space station, Commander Ye and his crew conducted various scientific experiments during their stay in Tiangong, including the study of ancient microorganisms. They conducted a national record spacewalk outside the space station in May and launched another spacewalk in June to install a protective shield against space debris. Ye recently became China’s first astronaut to spend more than 365 days in space, and previously participated in the Shenzhou 13 mission from 2021 to 2022.
The three also conducted emergency training and shot video of the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert, where it was launched in April, and the Wenchang Spaceport on Hainan Island, where the Tiangong module was launched.
The trio welcomed the new Shenzhou 19 crew at Tiangong on October 30, marking the first time China has sent six astronauts into space for a short period of time. Commander Ye formally handed over control of the orbital outpost to Shenzhou 19’s Commander Cai Xuezhe on November 1. The official ceremony marked China’s fifth such orbital change since completing the three-module space station in late 2022.
China intends to permanently occupy and operate Tiangong, which has about 20% the mass of the International Space Station, for at least 10 years. Officials recently announced plans to expand the space station into a double-T shape by adding three new modules. It also plans to send the Hubble-class Space Telescope into the same orbit, allowing it to dock at Tiangong for maintenance and repairs.
