Chinese Astronauts Return from Record Six-Month Space Mission

Three Chinese astronauts—Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong, and Wang Haoze—safely returned to Earth after spending six months aboard China’s Tiangong space station, landing at the Dongfeng site in Inner Mongolia following a weather delay. Their mission set world records for the longest single spacewalk and extravehicular activities by a Chinese crew, and included China's first female spaceflight engineer, Wang Haoze, and the country’s youngest astronaut to conduct spacewalks, Song Lingdong. The crew conducted scientific research in microgravity physics and space life sciences, and completed a formal handover of station operations to a new team before their return. The Tiangong station, built independently after China's exclusion from the International Space Station due to military-related concerns, reflects China's growing ambitions in space exploration. During this mission, the astronauts also contributed to station development and technology advancements, highlighting China's expanding capabilities, with plans to send astronauts to the moon before 2030. The space program, operated by the People’s Liberation Army, continues to achieve major milestones in its pursuit of long-term space presence.