China's Shenzhou-19 crew returns to Earth after 183-day space journey
Astronaut Song Lingdong is out of the return capsule of the Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceship at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
Image: li xin / XINHUA / Xinhua via AFP
The return capsule of China's Shenzhou-19 spaceship, carrying astronauts Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze, touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Wednesday. On-site medical monitoring and care personnel confirmed they were in good health.
The Shenzhou-19 manned mission was a complete success, announced the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
In a series of precisely timed maneuvers, the Shenzhou-19 crewed spacecraft initiated its return sequence starting from 12:17: the orbital module separated from the return capsule, followed by the ignition of the braking engine.
The return capsule then detached from the propulsion module and began its re-entry into Earth's atmosphere.
Utilizing the "fast return procedure" – a strategy now common in recent missions – the spacecraft completed just five orbits instead of the usual eleven, shortening the journey home to approximately 7.5 hours. Upon landing, search and recovery teams located the capsule and arrived at the site in a timely manner. Once the hatch was opened, medical staff confirmed that the astronauts were in good health and excellent condition.
A record-breaking space journey
China launched the Shenzhou-19 manned spacecraft on October 30 last year from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China. The spacecraft later conducted a fast, automated rendezvous and docked with the space station combination.
The three astronauts stayed in orbit for 183 days, during which they carried out three spacewalks, breaking the previous world record for the longest single spacewalk set by the Shenzhou-18 crew members. The crew set the record during its first extravehicular activity on December 17, 2024, which lasted for nine hours, according to CMSA.
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Astronaut Song Lingdong is out of the return capsule of the Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceship at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Image: li xin / XINHUA / Xinhua via AFP The return capsule of China's Shenzhou-19 spaceship, carrying astronauts Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze, touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Wednesday. On-site medical monitoring and care personnel confirmed they were in good health. The Shenzhou-19 manned mission was a complete success, announced the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). In a series of precisely timed maneuvers, the Shenzhou-19 crewed spacecraft initiated its return sequence starting from 12:17: the orbital module separated from the return capsule, followed by the ignition of the braking engine. The return capsule then detached from the propulsion module and began its re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. Utilizing the "fast return procedure" – a strategy now common in recent missions – the spacecraft completed just five orbits instead of the usual eleven, shortening the journey home to approximately 7.5 hours. Upon landing, search and recovery teams located the capsule and arrived at the site in a timely manner. Once the hatch was opened, medical staff confirmed that the astronauts were in good health and excellent condition. A record-breaking space journey China launched the Shenzhou-19 manned spacecraft on October 30 last year from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China. The spacecraft later conducted a fast, automated rendezvous and docked with the space station combination. The three astronauts stayed in orbit for 183 days, during which they carried out three spacewalks, breaking the previous world record for the longest single spacewalk set by the Shenzhou-18 crew members. The crew set the record during its first extravehicular activity on December 17, 2024, which lasted for nine hours, according to CMSA. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕
