Shenzhou 18 astronauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong, and Li Guangsu have been in orbit since late April and have safely landed on Earth.
In the historic conclusion of the astronauts’ mission aboard China’s Tiangong space station, the return capsule of the crewed Shenzhou 18 spacecraft made a flawless landing in northern China on Sunday.
After living and working in orbit since their launch on April 25, Ye Guangfu, Li Cong, and Li Guangsu returned to the Dongfeng landing site in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, according to Beijing-based Xinhua News, which cited the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
Following the transfer of their responsibilities to the incoming Shenzhou 19 crew, which launched on Wednesday, the Shenzhou 18 crew had already disembarked from the Tiangong space station earlier on Sunday after more than six months in orbit.
The Shenzhou 18 astronauts had finished a number of tasks prior to their departure, including as transferring supplies and processing experimental data.
During this trip, Commander Ye Guangfu, who was a member of the Shenzhou 13 crew, became the first Chinese astronaut to spend more than 365 days in space.
They also finished a record-breaking spacewalk and carried out a variety of scientific investigations, such as research on ancient bacteria.
In addition to filming the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center and Wenchang spaceport, the astronauts conducted emergency drills.
