China space station crew returns to Earth after 6 months in space

Three Chinese astronauts came back to Earth on Monday after a six-month stay on the Tiangong space station.

The Shenzhou-18 crew, including astronauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong and Li Guangsu, touched down at 1:24 am into China’s inner Mongolian region.

Chinese government broadcaster Xinhua said all three astronauts are in good health and dubbed the mission a success.

The astronauts did dozens of experiments on space medicine, basic physics and space life sciences during their time in space, Xinhua said.

The astronauts are coming back after they welcomed a replacement three-person crew last week for another six-month stay.

The new team of one woman and two men will conduct experiments, carry out spacewalks and install equipment to protect the station from space debris.

Tiangong Space Station was completed two years ago and orbits the Earth.

China is blocked from the International Space Station program, where astronauts from other nations travel, because of US concerns over the military’s involvement in the country’s space program.

The Chinese space station has only seen Chinese astronauts so far, but a space agency spokesperson told they are in discussions to select and train astronauts from other nations, Chinese government broadcaster Xinhua reported.

The missions to their space station fit into China’s wider aspirations to become a leader in space science research by 2050 and by putting a person on the Moon by 2030.