Shenzhou XXII Returns, China Sets Record 210 Days in Space

JAKARTA - Three Chinese astronauts have returned home after spending almost seven months in space. The Shenzhou XXII spacecraft left the Tiangong Space Station on Friday afternoon and brought them back to Earth.

According to a report by China Daily, quoted on Friday, May 29, Shenzhou XXII took off from the Tiangong core module at 14.44 local time. After that, the spacecraft began orbiting the Earth independently before heading to the landing site.

The three astronauts who returned were Zhang Lu, Wu Fei, and Zhang Hongzhang. They were the crew of the Shenzhou XXI mission.

China Daily reported that before leaving the station, the three were still completing their last work. They sent experimental data to the control center on Earth, tidied up the materials inside the station, and moved research samples and personal belongings to the return capsule.

In space, coming home is not just about getting into a capsule and waving your hands. Packing is also part of the mission.

Shenzhou XXII is scheduled to land Friday evening at the Dongfeng Landing Site, Badain Jaran Desert, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, northern China.

A day earlier, Zhang Lu and two of his colleagues had handed over control of the Chinese Space Station to the crew of Shenzhou XXIII. The replacement crew arrived on Monday.

This return is important for China's space program. The Shenzhou XXI mission lasted 210 days. It was the longest single trip ever made by a Chinese astronaut.

For Zhang Lu, this is his second space mission. For Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang, this is their first flight. Zhang Lu also set a record of seven times of extra-vehicular activity in two missions.

Extravehicular activity is an activity where astronauts get out of a spacecraft or space station with special clothes. Their tasks can be repairs, installation of tools, or inspection of the outer parts of the station. The risk is high. A little wrong, the consequences can be long.

Shenzhou XXII is the end of a long mission that shows China's space program is becoming more routine, neat, and confident. There's not much drama. But 210 days in orbit is enough to be big news.