(Beijing) A Chinese crew of three astronauts returned to earth on Monday after a stay of more than six months aboard the space station Tiangongannounced the Chine Nouvelle agency.
Posted at 2:23 p.m.
Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu were “in good health” after landing in their return capsule at the Dongfeng site in Inner Mongolia, the agency said.
The three men had arrived at the station Tiangong at the end of April and were joined there on October 30 by three new astronauts, two men and a woman, with whom they carried out a five-day handover before beginning their return journey.
The space station Tiangongwhose crew is made up of teams of three astronauts who take turns every three to six months, is the jewel of the Chinese space program.
Its central module was launched in 2021 and should be used for around ten years.
Beijing says it is on track to send a manned mission to the moon by 2030, where it plans to build a base.
