INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The return capsule of China's Shenzhou-19 spaceship, carrying astronauts Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze, touched down at the
Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Wednesday
On-site medical monitoring and care personnel confirmed they were in good health.The Shenzhou-19 manned mission was a complete success,
announced the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).In a series of precisely timed maneuvers, the Shenzhou-19 crewed spacecraft initiated its
return sequence starting from 12:17: the orbital module separated from the return capsule, followed by the ignition of the braking engine
The return capsule then detached from the propulsion module and began its re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. Utilizing the "fast return
procedure" a strategy now common in recent missions the spacecraft completed just five orbits instead of the usual eleven, shortening the
journey home to approximately 7.5 hours
Upon landing, search and recovery teams located the capsule and arrived at the site in a timely manner
Once the hatch was opened, medical staff confirmed that the astronauts were in good health and excellent condition.A record-breaking space
journeyChina launched the Shenzhou-19 manned spacecraft on October 30 last year from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China
The spacecraft later conducted a fast, automated rendezvous and docked with the space station combination. The three astronauts stayed in
orbit for 183 days, during which they carried out three spacewalks, breaking the previous world record for the longest single spacewalk set
by the Shenzhou-18 crew members
The crew set the record during its first extravehicular activity on December 17, 2024, which lasted for nine hours, according to CMSA.Cai
has now completed five spacewalks, making him the Chinese astronaut with the most extravehicular activities
Song became the first Chinese astronaut born in the 1990s to perform a spacewalk, while Wang became the first female aerospace flight
engineer to enter the space station.Notably, during a previous cargo installation task, the payload adapter became unexpectedly stuck
The Shenzhou-19 crew successfully resolved the issue during their first spacewalk, playing a key role in ensuring the smooth progress of
subsequent experiments.The crew also carried out a wide range of space science experiments across various fields, including fundamental
physics in microgravity, space materials science, space life sciences, aerospace medicine and space technology.
