Three taikonauts have returned to Earth after six months aboard the Chinese space station. Their space capsule landed in the Dongfeng Landing Area in Inner Mongolia, northeast of the Jiuquan Spaceport in the Gobi Desert.
Last Tuesday, a new crew of three left the Middle Kingdom on the spaceship “Shenzhou 16” (Magic Ship). It is the first crew change since the Tiangong (Heaven’s Palace) space station was commissioned.
The three astronauts Fei Junlong (57), Deng Qingming (56) and Zhang Lu (46) had worked on board for 186 days. Nine hours before landing, their spacecraft “Shenzhou 15” was undocked from the “Heaven Palace”.
The landing was broadcast live on Chinese state television. Even during the dangerous reentry into Earth’s atmosphere, the astronauts seemed relaxed. Ground control subsequently reported that all three were in good condition.
First citizen with us
Your colleagues will now be in space for five months. Among them is a citizen for the first time, scientist Gui Haichao of Beijing Aerospace University. The 36-year-old would provide experiments.
All other Chinese astronauts so far have come from the military. Flight engineer Zhu Yangzhu (36) is also a newcomer to space. The commander is 56-year-old space veteran Jing Haipeng. With his fourth spaceflight, the major general has completed more missions than any other Chinese astronaut.
Source: Krone
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