Shenzhou-20 crew returned to Earth aboard Shenzhou-21
發佈日期: 2025-11-14 23:24
TVB News
China's Shenzhou-20 crew has returned to Earth aboard the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft.
The three Chinese astronauts' homebound trip was delayed after their original return capsule was damaged, likely from being hit by space debris.
As for the four lab mice that travelled into space aboard Shenzhou-21 and were originally meant to return with Shenzhou-20, they are expected to come back on this flight.
The three Shenzhou-20 astronauts boarded the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft at around 11 a.m., which undocked from the China Space Station and began their journey home.
CCTV reports that today's return would use a fast-track trajectory, circling Earth about three times before landing -- roughly three hours quicker than before.
The crew members kept in touch with the ground throughout the journey.
The return capsule entered the Earth like a fireball and landed at the Dongfeng landing site in Inner Mongolia at 4:40 p.m.
The crew had spent 204 days in orbit and are all in good health, the China Manned Space Agency said.
Chen Dong, commander of the crew, was the first to exit the return capsule after it touched down on Earth.
He has become the first Chinese astronaut to accumulate over 400 days in orbit.
Chen Dong says human's space exploration has never been easy -- and it's impressed upon them with even greater clarity -- the weight carried by the principle of placing astronauts' safety above all else.
A comprehensive assessment found a small crack on the Shenzhou-20 return-capsule window, most likely caused by an external impact from space debris.
The Shenzhou-20 spacecraft will remain docked at the space station for further experiments.
