China on Tuesday postponed the return of the Shenzhou-19 crew to Earth due to bad weather at the landing site.

The three astronauts have been working on the Tiangong space station since October, and were scheduled to land in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Tuesday afternoon.

Xinhua news agency reported that because the recent meteorological conditions at the Dongfeng landing site "failed to meet mission requirements...the operation will be rescheduled in the coming days to ensure astronaut safety and mission success".

The trio – Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze – have carried out experiments during their six-month stay on Tiangong and set a new record for the longest-ever spacewalk. (Additional reporting by AFP)