China’s Longest Spacewalk Crew Lands Safely After 6 Months in Orbit

Three Chinese astronauts returned to Earth after spending six months aboard the Tiangong (“Heavenly Palace”) space station, concluding the Shenzhou-19 mission.

This was reported by official Chinese media, including CCTV, CE Report quotes ANSA.

The spacecraft carrying Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong, and Wang Haoze landed in the northern region of Inner Mongolia, according to footage from state broadcaster CCTV.

China had delayed the crew’s return, originally scheduled for Tuesday, due to poor weather conditions on the ground. The Shenzhou-19 astronauts had been working on the space station since October. During their mission, they conducted numerous experiments, helped with station maintenance, and set a new record for the longest spacewalk in history — lasting over 9 hours.

One of the three astronauts, Wang Haoze, 35, is a space engineer and became the third Chinese woman in history to reach space, following Liu Yang in 2012 and Wang Yaping in 2013.

The crew was led by Cai Xuzhe, 48, a veteran astronaut who had previously participated in the Shenzhou-14 mission. The third crew member, Song Lingdong, 34, a former air force pilot, was on his first spaceflight.

Last week, a new group of three astronauts launched to Tiangong, marking the start of the Shenzhou-20 mission. They spent a few days aboard the station alongside the outgoing Shenzhou-19 crew.

Beijing has invested billions of euros into its space program to catch up with the United States and Russia and aims to send a crewed mission to the Moon by 2030, followed by building a lunar base.