BEIJING, China— “Taikonauts,” or Chinese astronauts, have returned to earth on Friday after completing a 90-day mission of the nation’s longest crewed mission, and part of Beijing’s latest drive to become a major space power.
The three astronauts were inside the capsule that dangled on a parachute that successfully landed at the Gobi desert at 1:35 pm. The crew of the Shenzhou-12 spacecraft were all in good health after the mission.
In a live footage, medical personnel and support staff rushed to the landing site where the astronauts landed.
According to Huang Weifen, the chief designer of China’s space project, the three astronauts will have to undergo a 14-day quarantine period before they are allowed to go home because their immune system may have weakened after the mission.
The mission was part of China’s space program, which has already witnessed how the nation landed a rover on Mars and sent probes to the moon.
Beijing’s first crewed mission in five years has conformed with the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party on July 1 and was accentuated by a massive propaganda campaign.
The crew stayed at the Tiangong space station where they conducted spacewalks and scientific experiments for 90 days.
“The successful completion of the mission paves the way for future regular missions and utilization of the Chinese space station,” said Chen Lan, an independent analyst at GoTaikonauts, who specializes in China’s space program.
The mission was spearheaded by Nie Haisheng, an air force pilot in the People’s Liberation Army and who had previously joined two space missions.
(PHOTO CREDIT: xinhuanet.com)