BEIJING, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Three Chinese astronauts on board the Shenzhou-14 manned spaceship returned to Earth safely on Sunday, after completing their six-month space station mission.
Shenzhou-14's return capsule, carrying astronauts Chen Dong, Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe, touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region at 8:09 p.m. Beijing Time, according to the China Manned Space Agency.
The astronauts were in good shape, and the Shenzhou-14 manned mission was a success, the agency announced.
They were carried out by ground workers and placed onto chairs in front of the capsule. They looked relaxed and waved to the ground crew.
"Welcome back home," people cheered for the trio, as many raised their cameras to capture the historic moment.
"I am honored to witness the formation of our space station's basic configuration," said Chen, the mission commander, also the first Chinese astronaut to stay in orbit for more than 200 days. "I am proud of my country."
Liu, China's first female astronaut, said she had an unforgettable memory in the space station and is excited to return to the motherland.
The return capsule separated from Shenzhou-14's orbiting capsule at 7:20 p.m. on Sunday under the command of the Beijing Aerospace Control Center.
Soon after the return capsule landed, the ground search team arrived at the landing site. Medical personnel confirmed that the astronauts were in good health.
The three astronauts went to the space station on June 5. They completed multiple tasks during their mission, including overseeing several rendezvous-and-dockings, performing three extravehicular activities, giving a live science lecture, and conducting several sci-tech experiments. ■
