Chinese astronaut successfully returns from Tiangong space station mission

Three Chinese astronauts have returned safely to Earth after five months on the Tiangong space station, state media CCTV reported.

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The capsule carrying Jing Haipeng, Zhu Yangzhu and Gui Haichao landed at the Dongfeng Space Center at 8:11 a.m. Tuesday (9:11 p.m. Monday, Argentina time), state television reported.

Their images showed the capsule parachuting into the Gobi desert, kicking up a cloud of orange dust as it landed.

“Medical supervisors on site confirmed that the astronaut (…) is in good health,” CCTV said.

“The Shenzhou 16 manned mission was a complete success,” he added.

Jing, Zhu and Gui embarked on the Tiangong space mission at the end of May, where they spent 154 days.

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They were replaced last week by the crew of the Shenzhou 17 mission, which will “conduct various payload and space science tests and experiments in orbit,” according to the China Space Administration.

They must also perform maintenance work and repair minor damage caused by space debris.

Since Xi Jinping came to power a decade ago, China has accelerated its plans to become a space power.

The world’s second-largest economy has poured billions of dollars into its military-controlled space program in an attempt to catch up with the United States and Russia, AFP reported.

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In this strategy, Beijing plans to launch a manned mission to the moon in 2030 and hopes to establish a base on the surface of the Earth satellite.

Source: Télam.

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