Latest news with #Shenzhou-19
IOL News
10-05-2025
- Science
- IOL News
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. 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 ✕
The Star
04-05-2025
- Science
- The Star
China's Shenzhou-19 astronauts return home after forced landing site switch
China's three-person Shenzhou-19 crew successfully landed at a new site in the Inner Mongolia region on Wednesday, after poor weather delayed their return from the Tiangong space station. The crew's commander Cai Xuzhe and astronauts Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze – the country's third female astronaut and the only female space flight engineer – were originally supposed to make their return one day earlier. The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said on Wednesday that the return of the Shenzhou-19 crew – including the youngest Chinese astronaut so far – was delayed by strong winds at the original landing site. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. The agency added that the landing would be moved to the eastern section of the Dongfeng landing site where the meteorological conditions met requirements. It marked the first time a crew would land in this area, it said. 'Faced with new situations and new challenges, the entire project team worked closely together, linked up with the ground and the sky, and quickly formulated response measures to ensure the success of the mission,' the CMSA said in a social media post. The Shenzhou-19 crew began their six-month mission at the space station on October 29, completing tasks like compiling and sending remaining experimental data before returning to Earth, according to the CMSA. Ahead of their departure, the astronauts handed over the reins to the Shenzhou-20 crew, who arrived at the space station on April 24. At a press conference the day before the Shenzhou-20 launch, CMSA deputy director Lin Xiqiang said that the Shenzhou-19 crew took part in 88 research projects – in the fields of microgravity, life sciences, aerospace medicine, and materials science – while on board. This included the world's first in-orbit demonstration of artificial photosynthesis technology, which produced oxygen and ingredients necessary to make rocket fuel. Cai, the crew's commander, performed five activities outside the Tiangong, making him the Chinese astronaut with the most extravehicular activities. Cai and Song also set a new world record for the longest spacewalk, at nine hours and six minutes, Lin said. The new crew is expected to continue the work of the Shenzhou-19 astronauts, including running science experiments and performing extravehicular activities. They will also begin new experiments, including studying space tissue regeneration. More from South China Morning Post: For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2025.
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.
BBC News
01-05-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Crew return to Earth after six months on China space station
Three Chinese astronauts returned to Earth on Wednesday after six months on China's space station. The Shenzhou-19 mission carrying astronauts Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze undocked from the Tiangong space station on Tuesday 29 trio spent nine hours in transit back to Earth before touching down at the Dongfeng landing site in northern astronauts, who have been on the space station since October last year, have been setting records including the longest-ever spacewalk. What did the crew get up to in space? Astronauts Cai and Song spent more than nine hours outside the station during a mid-December spacewalk, which set the record. The team are also said to have performed a total of 86 scientific experiments during their time in orbit. One experiment included placing a brick made from lunar soil simulant on Tiagong's exterior to see how it holds up on the environment. China says the results could help them plan out a moon base. Who were the crew?
