Three astronauts from the Shenzhou 16 mission safely returned to Earth this morning after completing five months of living and working on the Tiangong space station.
(Video: Xinhua).
Astronauts Jing Haipeng, Zhu Yangzhu, and Gui Haichao touched down in the re-entry capsule of the Shenzhou 16 spacecraft at Dongfeng landing site at 7:10 AM on October 31 (Hanoi time), according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). The Shenzhou 16 spacecraft separated from the Tiangong space station at 7:27 PM on October 30 (Hanoi time). Prior to this, the three astronauts had transferred control of the station to the crew of Shenzhou 17 on October 26.
The Shenzhou 16 crew launched to the Tiangong space station aboard a Long March 2F rocket in May 2023. Jing Haipeng served as the mission commander, Zhu Yangzhu was the flight engineer, and Gui Haichao was the cargo specialist.
The crew capsule of Shenzhou 16 landing in Dongfeng.
The trio spent five months on the space station, conducting a series of scientific experiments and engaging with the community. Zhu and Jing completed an 8-hour spacewalk in June 2023 to maintain a camera on the Tiangong station. The new crew of Shenzhou 17 will stay on the station for six months.
The Tiangong station is about 20% the size of the International Space Station and was completed at the end of 2022 after the final module, Meng Tian, was added. China aims to maintain a permanently crewed Tiangong station for at least a decade. They also plan to expand the T-shaped space station, which currently consists of three modules.
