The Shenzhou-21 crew on Friday returned to Earth safely after spending a national record of 210 days in orbit aboard the Tiangong space station.

The return capsule of the Shenzhou-22 spaceship – carrying astronauts Zhang Lu, Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang – touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in Inner Mongolia.

The spaceship had undocked from the space station earlier in the day.

After the return capsule landed, ground support teams carried the crew members out one by one to nearby ambulances for check-ups.

All three astronauts were in good health condition, the China Manned Space Agency said, calling the Shenzhou-21 spaceflight mission a complete success.

Mission commander Zhang Lu, who holds a national record of seven spacewalks, said he was excited to be back home.

He also revealed that the crew had prepared a special gift dedicated to the nation's scientific community.

"On the day of the Shenzhou-21 launch, the ground team gave us an apple as a gift to wish us a safe mission. Our safety is their biggest wish," Zhang said.

"May 30 marks National Science and Technology Workers' Day. Therefore, when we left the space station, we brought an apple back with us to give to all those who work in the fields of science and technology.

"I would like to say thank you for your hard work, and I wish the country’s aerospace programmes will continue to thrive with all the success."

Another Shenzhou-21 crew member and the nation’s youngest astronaut to perform a space mission, Wu Fei, completed three spacewalks during this mission.

He said he feels extremely proud in taking on such a crucial responsibility during his maiden spaceflight.

"This mission has helped me truly understand that the most beautiful aspect of youth, which is being able to embark on a space mission for the motherland.

"I will channel this space adventure into motivation to keep moving forward, and I will continue to dedicate my efforts to the country’s manned spaceflight programme," he said.

Payload expert Zhang Hongzhang said the crew had successfully completed all planned research projects while aboard the space station and obtained valuable research data.

The return mission was part of the crew exchange which saw Hong Kong's first astronaut, Lai Ka-ying, embark on her maiden voyage to the nation's orbital outpost on board Shenzhou-23.

Shenzhou-21 and Shenzhou-23 astronaut crews held an in-orbit handover ceremony on Thursday, during which the Shenzhou-21 crew transferred the keys of the country's space station to the latter. (Additional reporting by Xinhua)


Edited by Edmond Fong