China’s Shenzhou 18 Astronauts Return to Earth After Six-Month Space Mission

After a six-month mission aboard the Tiangong area station, Chinese astronauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong, and Li Guangsu safely returned to Earth, touching down on the Dongfeng touchdown website in northern China. Having launched on April 25, the crew concluded their mission on Sunday, November 3, 2024, with the capsule touchdown at roughly 12:24 p.m. EST (or 12:24 a.m. Beijing time on November 4th). All three astronauts are reported to be in good well being following their prolonged keep in orbit, based on the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

Mission Highlights and Scientific Endeavours

As per a latest report by Space, Commander Ye and his crewmates performed quite a few scientific investigations, which included finding out historic microbes and conducting emergency drills throughout this tenure. The astronauts additionally accomplished a record-breaking spacewalk in May and one other in June, throughout which they put in shielding to guard the station from area particles. Commander Ye made historical past, turning into China’s first astronaut to build up over twelve months in area, following his prior involvement within the Shenzhou 13 mission in 2021-2022.

The astronauts captured views of the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center within the Gobi Desert, from the place they launched in April, in addition to China’s Wenchang spaceport, positioned on Hainan Island, the place modules of Tiangong have been beforehand launched.

Space Station Expansion Plans and Future Crews

The Shenzhou 18 crew welcomed the arrival of their successors, the Shenzhou 19 workforce, aboard Tiangong on thirtieth October, marking a quick interval the place six astronauts shared the station. The official handover of station command to Shenzhou 19’s Commander Cai Xuzhe came about on 1st November, persevering with China’s apply of easy orbital transitions since Tiangong’s completion in late 2022.
Chinese area officers plan to broaden Tiangong with three further modules, forming a double T-shaped construction. The growth will assist steady occupancy, and a Hubble-class telescope can be scheduled for launch to the identical orbit, the place it should dock with the station for upkeep.