Three taikonauts returned to Earth after a six-month expedition

Three taikonauts who went into outer space on the Shenzhou-18 manned spacecraft in April this year have successfully returned to Earth. According to the China Manned Spaceflight Agency (CMSA), all crew members are doing well.

Image source: CCTV

Taikonauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu spent more than six months aboard the Chinese space station Tiangong. Late last week, their mission was completed when the Shenzhou 18 capsule landed on a server in China on Sunday evening. The crew was delivered to Earth at night, so observers and search and rescue teams had to use infrared thermal imagers so as not to lose sight of the capsule.

During their stay on board the Tiangong station, the taikonauts conducted a number of scientific experiments, including those related to the study of microscopic life forms. In May, they performed a record-breaking spacewalk for China. In June, they again carried out work outside of Tiangong, which included installing elements to protect the station from space debris. During the mission, crew captain Ye Guangfu also became the first taikonaut to spend a total of 365 days in space. He managed to achieve this, among other things, thanks to his participation in the Shenzhou-13 mission, which was implemented in 2021-2022.

The crew of the Shenzhou-18 mission, who arrived there on October 30, remained at the orbital station to replace the crew of the Shenzhou-18 mission. This also means that six Chinese astronauts were in space for several days at once. Ye Guangfu officially handed over control of the orbital station to Shenzhou 19 commander Cai Xuzhe on November 1.