Three Chinese astronauts returned to Earth this morning after six months aboard the orbiting space station around China.
Jing Haipeng, Zhu Yangzhu and Gui Haichao emerged in good health from the capsule, near the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, on the edge of the Gobi Desert, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
The new crew, also consisting of three members, arrived at Tiangong station last week.
China conducted its first manned space mission in 2003 and plans to land astronauts on the moon before 2030. The country brought back samples from the lunar surface and landed a reconnaissance vehicle. Future plans include sending a new telescope to explore the depths of the universe.
China built its space station after being excluded from the International Space Station, largely due to United States concerns about Chinese military control of the country’s space program.
Beijing has emerged as the US’s main rival in achieving new milestones in space and this situation reflects the struggle for influence between the world’s two largest economies in technological, commercial, military and diplomatic fields, with China’s claim to sovereignty over the South Seas. China and Taiwan as points of contention.
For its part, the US plans to return astronauts to the lunar surface by the end of 2025, as part of a renewed commitment to crewed missions, with the help of private sector operators such as SpaceX and Blue Origin.
In addition to lunar programs, the two countries have also separately landed exploration vehicles on Mars, and China plans to follow the US in landing a spacecraft on an asteroid.
Source: DN
