Beijing: The astronauts arrived back in Beijing after completing their long mission in space. Three Chinese astronauts from the Shenzhou-21 mission, Zhang Lu, Wu Fei, and Zhang Hongzhang, arrived in Beijing on Saturday after safely landing in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Friday evening.
According to Thai News Agency, the three astronauts traveled aboard the Shenzhou-22, which was sent up to serve as an emergency evacuation vehicle after the original Shenzhou-21 was found to be damaged by a collision with space debris. The China Manned Space Agency confirmed that all astronauts are in excellent health and the mission was a complete success, setting a new record as the longest single-person astronaut mission on the Chinese space station, totaling 210 days.
During their mission, the astronaut team performed three spacewalks to install equipment to prevent space debris and check safety. They also successfully conducted numerous cutting-edge scientific experiments on the Tiangong space station, such as the first-ever closed-system mouse breeding experiment, laying the foundation for studying mammalian logistics in space; growing cherry tomatoes and wheat using a misting system; and developing a model to detect astronaut fatigue by analyzing facial muscle movements without physical contact.
Following this, the three astronauts will undergo quarantine and thorough medical examinations before participating in an official press conference in Beijing.