China's Shenzhou‑21 crew lands safely after 210‑day space record

Three Chinese taikonauts—Zhang Lu, Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang—returned to Earth on 29 May 2026 after a 210‑day stay aboard the Tiangong space station, the longest on‑orbit mission for a Chinese crew. The Shenzhou‑22 return capsule touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in Inner Mongolia’s autonomous region, and all three astronauts were reported to be in good health.

The crew completed a hand‑over ceremony with the incoming Shenzhou‑23 team, delivering the station’s key and handing over supplies. The Shenzhou‑23 crew includes Zhu Yangzhu, Zhang Zhiyuan and Hong Kong‑born Lai Ka‑ying, the first astronaut from the city. Zhang Lu’s seventh spacewalk made him the most experienced Chinese EVA astronaut. The successful mission underscores China’s growing human‑spaceflight capability as the country prepares for a crewed lunar landing by 2030 and demonstrates its emergency‑backup launch system, which was used when Shenzhou‑22 was launched unmanned to replace the original return vehicle.