China's Shenzhou‑21 crew returns after record 210‑day mission

Three Chinese astronauts – commander Chang Lu, Vu Fei and Chang Hung‑chang – landed safely on Friday at the Tungfeng site in Inner Mongolia at 20:11 Beijing time. They returned aboard the Shenzhou‑22 capsule after spending 210 days aboard the Tiangong space station, setting a new Chinese record for the longest continuous crewed flight.

During the mission the crew performed three spacewalks, inspected a window on the Shenzhou‑20 return capsule, installed debris‑shielding equipment, handled cargo, and conducted numerous micro‑gravity experiments in physics, material science, life sciences, space medicine and technology. The return was historic because it marked the first time a crew came back on a different spacecraft than the one they arrived in, after a debris impact damaged Shenzhou‑21. The emergency launch of Shenzhou‑22 on 25 Nov 2025 was China’s first manned emergency launch.

The mission began on 31 Oct 2025 and concluded without injuries, with the astronauts reported in good health after post‑landing medical checks.