Chinese astronauts land after 6 months on space station

BEIJING

After six months on the country’s latest orbital station, three Chinese astronauts returned home to Earth Saturday in the longest crewed mission for China’s ambitious space program.

The Shenzhou 13 space capsule was seen landing in the Gobi desert of Inner Mongolia’s northern region. It was shown live on state TV.

Wang Yaping, a Chinese astronaut, performed the first ever spacewalk. Wang, Zhai Zhigang, and Ye Guangfu were able to beam back high school students physics lessons.

China sent its first spaceman into space in 2003. In 2013, it also launched robot rovers to the moon and Mars. Officials have been discussing the possibility of a crewed trip to the moon.

State TV broadcast images from the capsule’s interior as it flew at 200 metres per second across Africa, before entering the atmosphere.

They were the second crew on Tiangong (or Heavenly Palace). The core module, Tianhe (or Heavenly Palace), was launched in April 2021. Construction will be completed this year with the addition of two additional modules.

The authorities have not yet announced a date for the launch of the next Tiangong team.

China is exempted from the International Space Station owing to American concern that China’s space program, run by the People’s Liberation Army military wing of its ruling Communist Party, is not being managed properly.

China was third after the United States, Soviet Union, and China to launch an astronaut in space. Tiangong, China’s third launch vehicle into space, is the successor to those launched in 2011-2016.

China’s first reusable spacecraft was announced by the government in 2020 after a test flight, but no photos or details have been made public.

On Tuesday, President Xi Jinping visited Wenchang, on the southern island Hainan. There the Tianhe module was launched into orbit.

“Persist with pursuing the frontiers for world aerospace development, and the major strategic requirements of national aerospace,” Xi instructed the personnel at the site, all dressed in military uniform.