Latest news with #Shenzhou-14
L'Orient-Le Jour
02-05-2025
- Science
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Three astronauts of the Shenzhou-19 mission return to Earth
Three Chinese astronauts returned to Earth on Wednesday after spending six months in the national Tiangong space station ("Heavenly Palace"), according to a state media outlet, marking another step in China's assertion into space power. The capsule carrying the trio, including Wang Haoze, the third Chinese woman in space, landed shortly after 1 p.m. (0500 GMT) in Inner Mongolia (north of China), the Xinhua news agency reported. This marks the end of the Shenzhou-19 mission. China had postponed the crew's return, initially scheduled for Tuesday, due to poor weather conditions on the ground. The country has invested billions of euros in its space program to catch up with the U.S. and Russia. It hopes to send a manned mission to the Moon by 2030 and build a lunar base. The three astronauts of Shenzhou-19 had been working in the space station since October. They conducted numerous experiments, contributed to Tiangong's maintenance, and set a new record for the longest spacewalk in history (over nine hours). Among the three astronauts of Shenzhou-19 was 35-year-old Wang Haoze. The only Chinese aerospace engineer at the time of the mission launch, she became the third Chinese woman to reach space - after Liu Yang (2012) and Wang Yaping (2013). The crew was led by Cai Xuzhe, 48, an experienced astronaut who had already participated in Shenzhou-14. They were accompanied by Song Lingdong, a 34-year-old former air force pilot, who was on his first space flight. Three new astronauts took off last week to Tiangong, marking the start of the Shenzhou-20 mission. They cohabited for a few days with their Shenzhou-19 colleagues.
Daily Tribune
02-05-2025
- Science
- Daily Tribune
China's Shenzhou-19 astronauts return to Earth
Three Chinese astronauts returned to Earth yesterday after six months on the country's space station, state media footage showed, as Beijing advances towards its aim to become a major celestial power. Beijing has ploughed billions of dollars into its space programme in recent years, aiming to fly a crewed mission to the Moon by 2030 and eventually build a base on the lunar surface. Its latest launch last week ferried a trio of astronauts to the Tiangong space station, heralding the start of the Shenzhou-20 mission. They have taken over from Shenzhou-19 crew Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze, whose landing capsule touched down in the northern Inner Mongolia region on Wednesday. Pictures from state broadcaster CCTV showed the capsule, attached to a red-and-white striped parachute, descending through an azure sky before touching down in a cloud of brown desert dust. Its occupants had worked on the space station since October, where they carried out experiments and set a new record for the longest ever spacewalk. The crew were initially scheduled to return on Tuesday, but the mission was postponed due to bad weather at the landing site, according to Chinese authorities. Wang, 35, was China's only woman spaceflight engineer at the time of the launch, according to the Chinese Manned Space Agency (CMSA). Commander Cai, a 48-yearold former air force pilot, previously served aboard Tiangong as part of the Shenzhou-14 mission in 2022. Song, a 34-year-old onetime air force pilot, completed the group of spacefarers popularly dubbed "taikonauts" in China.
Observer
30-04-2025
- Science
- Observer
China's Shenzhou-19 astronauts return to Earth
Three Chinese astronauts returned to Earth on Wednesday after six months on the country's space station, state media footage showed, as Beijing advances towards its aim to become a major celestial power. China has ploughed billions of dollars into its space programme in recent years in an effort to achieve what President Xi Jinping describes as the country's "space dream". The world's second-largest economy has bold plans to send a crewed mission to the Moon by the end of the decade and eventually build a base on the lunar surface. Its latest launch last week ferried a trio of astronauts to the Tiangong space station, heralding the start of the Shenzhou-20 mission. They have taken over from Shenzhou-19 crew Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze, whose landing capsule touched down in the northern Inner Mongolia region on Wednesday. Xinhua state news agency said the group were in "good health" shortly after touching back down on Earth. Pictures from state broadcaster CCTV showed the capsule, attached to a red-and-white striped parachute, descending through an azure sky before hitting the ground in a cloud of brown desert dust. Teams of officials in white and orange jumpsuits then rushed to open the golden craft, and one planted a fluttering national flag into the sandy soil nearby. The Shenzhou-19 crew had worked on the space station since October, where they carried out experiments and set a new record for the longest ever spacewalk. They were initially scheduled to return on Tuesday, but the mission was postponed due to bad weather at the landing site, according to Chinese authorities. Wang, 35, was China's only woman spaceflight engineer at the time of the launch, according to the Chinese Manned Space Agency (CMSA). Commander Cai, a 48-year-old former air force pilot, previously served aboard Tiangong as part of the Shenzhou-14 mission in 2022. Song, a 34-year-old onetime air force pilot, completed the group of spacefarers popularly dubbed "taikonauts" in China.
The Hindu
30-04-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
China's Shenzhou-19 astronauts return to earth
Three Chinese astronauts returned to earth on April 30 after six months on the country's space station, state media footage showed, as Beijing advances towards its aim to become a major celestial power. China has ploughed billions of dollars into its space programme in recent years in an effort to achieve what President Xi Jinping describes as the country's "space dream". The world's second-largest economy has bold plans to send a crewed mission to the Moon by the end of the decade and eventually build a base on the lunar surface. Its latest launch last week ferried a trio of astronauts to the Tiangong space station, heralding the start of the Shenzhou-20 mission. They have taken over from Shenzhou-19 crew Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze, whose landing capsule touched down in the northern Inner Mongolia region on Wednesday. Shortly after the landing, the Xinhua state news agency said the mission was a "complete success", adding that the trio were in "good health". Pictures from state broadcaster CCTV showed the capsule, attached to a red-and-white striped parachute, descending through an azure sky before hitting the ground in a cloud of brown desert dust. Teams of officials in white and orange jumpsuits then rushed to open the golden craft, and one planted a fluttering national flag into the sandy soil nearby. The Shenzhou-19 crew had worked on the space station since October, where they carried out experiments and set a new record for the longest ever spacewalk. They were initially scheduled to return on Tuesday, but the mission was postponed due to bad weather at the Dongfeng landing site, according to Chinese authorities. Wang, 35, was China's only woman spaceflight engineer at the time of the launch, according to the Chinese Manned Space Agency (CMSA). Commander Cai, a 48-year-old former air force pilot, previously served aboard Tiangong as part of the Shenzhou-14 mission in 2022. Song, a 34-year-old onetime air force pilot, completed the group of spacefarers popularly dubbed "taikonauts" in China. Bold ambitions Last week, China saw off the Shenzhou-20 team in a feast of pomp and pageantry at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Base in the barren desert of northwestern Gansu province. A military band and crowds of flag-waving well-wishers bade farewell to the crew before they blasted off on a Long March-2F rocket. State media reported that they assumed control of the space station after a handover ceremony with its former occupants on Sunday. The all-male Shenzhou-20 crew is headed by Chen Dong, 46, a former fighter pilot and veteran space explorer who in 2022 became the first Chinese astronaut to clock up more than 200 cumulative days in orbit. The other two crew members -- 40-year-old former air force pilot Chen Zhongrui, and 35-year-old former space technology engineer Wang Jie -- are on their first space flight. During their six-month stint, the crew will carry out experiments in physics and life sciences and install protective equipment against space debris. For the first time, they will also bring aboard planarians, aquatic flatworms known for their regenerative abilities. China's space programme is the third to put humans in orbit and has also landed robotic rovers on Mars and the Moon as it catches up with the two most established cosmic powers, the United States and Russia. Tiangong -- whose name means "celestial palace" in Chinese -- is its tour de force. China has never been involved in the International Space Station due to opposition from the United States. Washington plans to return to the Moon in 2027, though the election of President Donald Trump brought uncertainty over the mission's fate.
Express Tribune
30-04-2025
- Science
- Express Tribune
Chinese astronauts return after six-month mission on Tiangong
Listen to article Three Chinese astronauts safely returned to Earth on Wednesday after completing a six-month mission aboard the Tiangong space station, as Beijing continues its push toward becoming a leading space power. Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong, and Wang Haoze of the Shenzhou-19 crew touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, according to state broadcaster CCTV and the Xinhua News Agency. Their landing, initially scheduled for Tuesday, was postponed by a day due to adverse weather conditions. Footage showed the return capsule descending under a red-and-white striped parachute before landing in the Gobi Desert, kicking up a cloud of dust as recovery teams rushed in. The crew launched last October and spent 180 days aboard Tiangong, China's independently built orbital space station. During their time in orbit, they conducted a range of scientific experiments, performed technical maintenance, and achieved a new national record for the longest spacewalk by Chinese astronauts. Their return marks the official completion of the Shenzhou-19 mission and comes shortly after the successful launch of the Shenzhou-20 crew last Thursday. The new team, comprising Commander Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie, lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre and will also spend six months aboard the station. Cai, 48, a veteran of the Shenzhou-14 mission in 2022, led the crew. Song, 34, and Wang, 35, are both former air force pilots. Wang, notably, was China's only active female spaceflight engineer at the time of launch. The mission highlights the continued expansion of China's ambitious space programme, which has received billions in government investment. Beijing aims to send astronauts to the Moon by 2030 and is laying the groundwork for a long-term presence on the lunar surface. With the Tiangong station now fully operational, China is steadily positioning itself as a major spacefaring nation, independently of the US-led International Space Station, which is nearing the end of its operational life.
