The three astronauts of the Shenzhou-18 manned mission returned to Earth early on Monday after more than six months aboard the Tiangong space station.

Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu are "in good physical condition," after touching down in the return capsule of their Shenzhou spaceship at the Dongfeng landing site in Inner Mongolia, according to Xinhua News Agency.

After leaving the capsule, the trio thanked the country and the people, saying they hope to continue contributing to the country's space programme.

The China Manned Space Agency described the mission as "a complete success".

Ye, the Shenzhou-18 mission commander, has become the first Chinese astronaut with an accumulative spaceflight time of more than a year, setting a new record for the longest duration of stay in orbit by a Chinese astronaut.

"Chinese astronauts have flown to space in successive missions. I believe that the record of the duration in orbit will be broken in the near future," Ye said.

Li Cong, who has just completed his first-ever space adventure, said that the crew was united as one and worked closely with the ground team.

Li Guangsu also returned from his first spaceflight. "We have all enjoyed the unique experience of weightlessness. It is exciting to return to Earth, but we are also unwilling to part the wonders of the space," he said.

The trio later arrived in Beijing by plane. They will enter a period of medical quarantine and undergo comprehensive medical examinations and health evaluations, and meet with the press afterwards.

The three men had travelled to Tiangong in late April and were met on October 30 by three new astronauts, with whom they conducted a five-day handover before making their return journey.

Beijing earlier said it is on track to send a crewed mission to the Moon by 2030, where it intends to construct a base on the lunar surface. (Additional reporting by Xinhua)
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Last updated: 2024-11-04 HKT 11:05