China Space Station Crew Returns To Earth After 6 Months In Space
November 4, 2024 9:02AM PST
FILE -Chinese astronauts for the Shenzhou-18 mission, from right, Ye Guangfu, Li Cong, and Li Guangsu wave as they attend a send-off ceremony for their manned space mission at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China, April 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)
BEIJING (AP) — Three Chinese astronauts have returned to Earth after a six-month stay on China’s Tiangong space station.
A parachute slowed their capsule’s nighttime descent on Monday to a remote landing area in China’s Inner Mongolia region.
The crew emerged after touching down at 1:24 a.m.
The Tiangong space station is part of China’s efforts to be a global leader in space exploration.
Only Chinese astronauts have gone to the space station so far, but a space agency spokesperson said last week that China is in discussions to select and train astronauts from other nations to join the missions.
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