Three astronauts from China landed safely at the Dongfeng site in Inner Mongolia after spending almost seven months in space, marking the longest space mission by a Chinese crew. The team, comprising Zhang Lu, Wu Fei, and Zhang Hongzhang, returned from the Shenzhou 21 mission, which involved extensive scientific work and operational tasks aboard the Tiangong space station.
During their mission, the crew conducted three spacewalks and completed various experiments and supply transfers critical to maintaining and expanding China’s presence in low Earth orbit. Zhang Lu, the mission commander, has now accumulated the highest number of spacewalks by a Chinese astronaut, with a total of seven across his career. After touchdown, Zhang described his return as an emotional moment, acknowledging the broad support from families, colleagues, and leadership that made the mission possible.
In addition to their scientific contributions, the returning astronauts shared valuable experience with the Shenzhou 23 crew, which arrived earlier this week. One member of the newly arrived team is preparing for a year-long stay, underscoring China’s commitment to sustained operations in space. Notably, Lai Ka-ying, who was born and raised in Hong Kong, is the first astronaut from the city to participate in a Chinese space mission.
China’s space ambitions continue to grow as it prepares for its first lunar landing, targeted before 2030. The Tiangong station, which means “Heavenly Palace,” serves as the nation’s modular space outpost following its exclusion from the International Space Station due to U.S. national security concerns. As China extends its space program, it faces competition primarily from the United States, where NASA plans to land astronauts on the moon within the next few years.