Three Chinese astronauts have returned home following a months-long stay on the Tiangong space station, where the crew carried out a number of experiments and construction projects on orbital modules during their mission.
The astronauts landed in China’s Inner Mongolia region on Saturday morning after a nine-hour journey, during which their Shenzhou spacecraft reached speeds of up to 200 meters per second as it hurdled toward Earth, according to local media.
Medical workers at the landing site reported that the three crew members were “in good condition” upon touching down, China Daily reported.
Astronauts Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping, and Ye Guangfu left for the space station last October and spent around half a year in orbit, installing parts of Tiangong’s external mechanical arm and conducting tests and experiments in that time. Wang also made history in November when she became the first Chinese woman to perform a spacewalk, having already become the first woman to serve on the station.