Photo credit: Xinhua
Chinese astronauts Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo successfully returned to Earth from a three-month mission to the Tiangong Space Station and landed in the remote Gobi Desert of northwestern China at 1:34 p.m. (Beijing Time). This also marked a historic day for spaceflight, as there was a total of 14 people in low Earth orbit before the Shenzhou-12 crew returned. This mission laid a solid foundation for the continued construction and operation of the country’s space station. Read more for two videos and additional information.
Medical personnel who attended to the astronauts confirmed that they were in good health once the hatch of the return capsule was opened. Shortly after, they were transported to a helicopter by the ground crew before being escorted back to Beijing. From there, the three astronauts will spend the next several weeks in quarantine for a comprehensive medical examination and health assessment.
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The construction of the space station is a milestone in China’s space industry, which will make pioneering contributions to the peaceful use of space by humanity,” said Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission.
