Nov 7 – China’s Shenzhou-18 astronauts – Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu – returned to Earth on Monday after the conclusion of their six-month mission at the China Space Station. The return capsule landed at the Dongfeng landing site in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region at 1:24 a.m.
All of the three crew members had left the capsule by 2:15 a.m. and they are stated to be in good health.
The Shenzhou-18 manned mission was a complete success, announced the the China Manned Space Agency. Ye, commander of the crewed mission, was also a member of China’s Shenzhou-13 mission. He has become the first taikonaut with a cumulative spaceflight duration of more than one year, setting a new record for the longest time spent in orbit by a taikonaut.
After coming out of the return capsule, Ye said his return to the space station had once again left him deeply impressed by the rapid development of China’s space program. “I believe that a new record of time spent in orbit by Chinese astronauts will soon be set,” he said. Shenzhou-18 spaceflight mission was the first one for Li Cong.
He said the crew was united as one, cooperating seamlessly with the ground team to ensure two successful extravehicular activities (EVAs), while the in-orbit scientific experiments progressed smoothly as well. “The exploration of space is limitless,” said Li, expecting to return to the vast space once again. Li Guangsu, who also just completed his first flight mission with She.
