On May 21, 2026, three Chinese taikonauts successfully returned to Earth after completing a record 210-day mission in space. The crew capsule made a soft landing at the Dongfeng landing site in Inner Mongolia at 20:11 Beijing time. The team, consisting of commander Zhang Lu, Wu Fei, and Zhang Hongzhang, stayed longer than the standard 180-day period at the Tiangong station, completing the longest mission in the history of Chinese astronautics. This is reported by Ixbt.com news.
A unique aspect of this mission is that the taikonauts were forced to return in a different spacecraft than the one they arrived in. The crew, who arrived at the station in October last year aboard the Shenzhou-21, faced unexpected problems. A crack was discovered in the porthole of the previous Shenzhou-20 mission's spacecraft due to a space debris impact, and for safety reasons, it was deemed unfit for returning the crew.
To rectify the situation, the China National Space Administration took emergency measures. The Shenzhou-20 crew was returned to Earth on November 14 aboard the newly arrived Shenzhou-21. For Zhang Lu's team, who remained on the station, the unmanned Shenzhou-22 spacecraft was launched on November 24. This very ship served as a rescue capsule throughout the months and brought the crew home safely today.
During the mission, 32-year-old Wu Fei became the youngest taikonaut in Chinese history. While in space, the crew performed three spacewalks and conducted numerous scientific experiments in physics, biology, and aerospace medicine under microgravity conditions. Before departing, they handed over station control to the members of the Shenzhou-23 mission, who arrived on May 24.
Read “Zamin” on Telegram!
