Advertisement
Science
ChinaScience

China’s Shenzhou-19 astronauts return home after forced landing site switch

Strong winds delay crew’s landing after six months on board the Tiangong space station

Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
8
Astronaut Wang Haoze emerges from the Shenzhou-19 return capsule at the Dongfeng landing site in north China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region on Wednesday. Photo: Xinhua
Victoria Bela
China’s three-person Shenzhou-19 crew successfully landed at a new site in Inner Mongolia autonomous region on Wednesday, after poor weather delayed their return from the Tiangong space station.

The crew’s commander, Cai Xuzhe, along with Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze – the country’s third woman 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.

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 was the first time for a crew to 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 before the descent.

In a follow-up statement posted to social media on Wednesday, the agency said the crew began their descent at 12.17pm local time with the return capsule touching down just under an hour later at 1.08pm.

On-site medical staff confirmed that the astronauts were in good condition, according to the CMSA.

Advertisement