210 Days in Space Breaks Record: Shenzhou 21 Crew Returns to Earth

The crew of China's Shenzhou 21 spacecraft returned to Earth aboard the Shenzhou 22 manned spacecraft, landing at Dongfeng Landing Site at 8:11 p.m. on the 29th. The three astronauts, Zhang Lu, Wu Fei, and Zhang Hongzhang, were in good physical condition.

During the post-landing interview, Commander Zhang Lu presented an apple inscribed with the characters “Peace” and said that May 30 is National Science and Technology Workers’ Day, so he specially brought back an apple from the space station to give to all science and technology workers.

Zhang Lu previously performed the Shenzhou 15 manned mission. Having completed a total of 7 extravehicular activities, he is currently the Chinese astronaut with the most spacewalks and is the second Chinese astronaut whose time in orbit has exceeded 400 days.

According to the China Manned Space Engineering Office, at 7:20 p.m. that evening, the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center sent the return command via the ground tracking and control station. The Shenzhou 22 manned spacecraft’s orbital module and return module successfully separated.

Afterward, the spacecraft return module’s braking engine ignited, the return module separated from the propulsion module, and the return module landed successfully. The search and rescue team responsible for retrieval quickly located the target and arrived at the landing site. After the hatch was opened, medical personnel confirmed that astronauts Zhang Lu, Wu Fei, and Zhang Hongzhang were in good health.

The Shenzhou 21 astronaut crew entered the China Space Station on November 1 last year. The three astronauts carried out 3 extravehicular activities and completed tasks such as inspecting and photographing the window of Shenzhou 20’s return module and installing the space station’s debris protection devices. While in orbit, the crew personally experienced and witnessed historic moments in the history of China’s manned space program, including the first-ever delay of a spacecraft’s return due to a collision with space debris, the first crewed spacecraft crew exchange return, and the first emergency launch of a spacecraft.

On the 30th, the astronaut crew had already arrived in Beijing by plane, where they will begin a period of quarantine and recovery, undergo comprehensive medical examination and health assessment, and be scheduled for rest. Afterwards, they will meet the media in Beijing as a group.