China's Shenzhou 13 Astronauts Return To Earth After Record 182-Day Mission In Orbit

Astronauts Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping, and Ye Guangfu spent six months in the Tiangong space station, as part of the Shenzhou 13 mission. This marks the longest-ever spaceflight by a Chinese crew.

New Delhi: The three-person crew of China's Shenzhou 13 mission has returned to Earth, after a record 182-day mission in space. 

The three Chinese astronauts touched down on the Dongfeng landing site in the Inner Mongolia region of northwestern China, on April 15, Friday, at 9:56 pm EDT (April 16, Saturday, at 7:26 am IST).

Astronauts Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping, and Ye Guangfu spent six months in the Tiangong space station, as part of the Shenzhou 13 mission. This marks the longest-ever spaceflight by a Chinese crew. Zhigang served as the commander of the Shenzhou 13 mission.

The crew boarded the Shenzhou 13 spacecraft, and closed hatches with the Tianhe core module, the core module of the Chinese space station, on Friday. 

They undocked from the station's Nadir port, or the Earth-facing port, at 12:44 pm EDT (10:14 pm IST). During undocking, the Shenzhou 13 astronauts were flying nearly 240 miles above Earth, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

Then, the spacecraft fired its thrusters to move a safe distance from the space station, and jettisoned its orbital habitation module. 

After this, the spacecraft's engines fired for a deorbit burn so that it could slow down for atmospheric re-entry.

At around 7 am IST, Shenzhou's propulsion module jettisoned, Spaceflight Now said in an update on Twitter. 

The propulsion module burned up during re-entry as the crew module plunged into the atmosphere.

The re-entry capsule was protected by a heat shield to withstand extremely high temperatures. 

According to an update by Spaceflight Now, an infrared tracking camera near the landing site in the Inner Mongolia region sighted the Shenzhou 13 entry capsule plunging back into the atmosphere after six months in orbit. 

The spacecraft survived its super-hot atmospheric re-entry, and deployed a main parachute to slow down its descent for landing in the Gobi Desert of China. 

Then, the spacecraft jettisoned its heat shield which was no longer needed, and descended under the parachute toward the landing site.

Before landing, the Shenzhou 13 spacecraft vented the excess propellant. The spacecraft landed on Earth at 7:26 am IST.

After the Shenzhou 13 astronauts touched down on Earth, Chinese recovery forces arrived at the landing site. Nearby, a camel was seen scurrying across the Inner Mongolia landscape.

On October 15, 2021, the Shenzhou 13 astronauts blasted off into space on the Shenzhou 13 spacecraft. They docked with the Tiangong space station's Tianhe core module six-and-a-half hours after launch. 

During their six-month stay aboard the orbital outpost, the astronauts performed over 20 experiments, and prepared the station for future expansion. They also performed two spacewalks.

On November 7, Zhigang and Yaping completed the mission's first spacewalk. They prepared the Tiangong space station's 47-foot robotic arm for service, connected its two main segments, and installed a suspension device to help the arm move equipment around the exterior of the orbital laboratory. 

Yaping was a Chinese military pilot before joining China's astronaut corps. She became China's first woman to perform a spacewalk. 

Guangfu and Zhigang performed Shenzhou 13 mission's second spacewalk on December 26. They deployed an external panoramic camera and tested methods for astronauts on future missions to move objects around the exterior of the orbital outpost. 

The astronauts evaluated the living and working conditions inside the Tianhe core module, and tested the station's life support system. This includes the technology to recycle urine, sweat, and water vapour into drinking water. 

They also tested the Tiangong space station's stationary bicycle and treadmill to maintain physical fitness during the six-month mission. 

The Shenzhou 13 crew spoke to the Chinese public in science education and outreach activities, and celebrated traditional events on the Chinese calendar, such as the Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival, and the Lantern Festival, during their stay aboard the space station.

The Shenzhou 13 astronauts also enjoyed Chinese cuisine on the station, which included dumplings, zongzi, mooncakes, and tangyuan.

Zhigang, 55, is a major general in the People's Liberation Army Strategic Support Force. The Shenzhou 13 was his second spaceflight. 

The Shenzhou 13 mission was Guangfu's first spaceflight, and was a pilot in the Chinese military before joining the country's astronaut corps.

Yaping, 42, is a Chinese military transport pilot, and the second Chinese woman in space.

The Shenzhou 13 astronauts are the second crew to live and work on the Chinese space station.

After the departure of the Shenzhou 13 crew, the Chinese space station is devoid of any human presence, and will remain unoccupied until the launch of the next long-duration crew of astronauts in June 2022. 

The Shenzhou 14 mission will launch three more astronauts to the Chinese space station for another six-month mission.

The Tianhe core module, the first section of the Chinese space station, was launched into orbit on April 29, 2021.

This year, China plans to launch the large Wentian and Mengtian laboratory modules to complete the initial assembly of the Tiangong space station.