The Shenzhou 9 spacecraft will leave the Tiangong 1 module to return to Earth today after a 13-day mission.
Shenzhou 9 and Tiangong 1 separated on June 28. (Photo: Xinhua)
According to Xinhua, the Beijing Aerospace Control Center announced that Shenzhou 9 successfully separated from Tiangong 1 on June 28 under the control of the astronauts. The spacecraft then continued to fly away from the module to create a safe distance. According to the plan, Shenzhou 9 is expected to land in Inner Mongolia, China, around 10 AM local time.
The three astronauts aboard Shenzhou 9 conducted a series of scientific experiments in orbit and successfully docked the spacecraft with Tiangong 1 manually. The success of the astronaut team demonstrates that China has fully mastered the technology of spacecraft docking in space—a critical technique for future manned missions and cargo transport to space stations.
Shenzhou 9 was launched into orbit from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu Province, China, on June 16. The three astronauts participating in the mission are Jing Haipeng, Liu Wang, and Liu Yang, with Liu Yang being the first Chinese woman to travel into space.
