Latest news with #CaiXuzhe
The Star
04-05-2025
- Science
- The Star
China's Shenzhou-19 astronauts return home after forced landing site switch
China's three-person Shenzhou-19 crew successfully landed at a new site in the Inner Mongolia region on Wednesday, after poor weather delayed their return from the Tiangong space station. The crew's commander Cai Xuzhe and astronauts Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze – the country's third female astronaut and the only female space flight engineer – were originally supposed to make their return one day earlier. The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said on Wednesday that the return of the Shenzhou-19 crew – including the youngest Chinese astronaut so far – was delayed by strong winds at the original landing site. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. The agency added that the landing would be moved to the eastern section of the Dongfeng landing site where the meteorological conditions met requirements. It marked the first time a crew would land in this area, it said. 'Faced with new situations and new challenges, the entire project team worked closely together, linked up with the ground and the sky, and quickly formulated response measures to ensure the success of the mission,' the CMSA said in a social media post. The Shenzhou-19 crew began their six-month mission at the space station on October 29, completing tasks like compiling and sending remaining experimental data before returning to Earth, according to the CMSA. Ahead of their departure, the astronauts handed over the reins to the Shenzhou-20 crew, who arrived at the space station on April 24. At a press conference the day before the Shenzhou-20 launch, CMSA deputy director Lin Xiqiang said that the Shenzhou-19 crew took part in 88 research projects – in the fields of microgravity, life sciences, aerospace medicine, and materials science – while on board. This included the world's first in-orbit demonstration of artificial photosynthesis technology, which produced oxygen and ingredients necessary to make rocket fuel. Cai, the crew's commander, performed five activities outside the Tiangong, making him the Chinese astronaut with the most extravehicular activities. Cai and Song also set a new world record for the longest spacewalk, at nine hours and six minutes, Lin said. The new crew is expected to continue the work of the Shenzhou-19 astronauts, including running science experiments and performing extravehicular activities. They will also begin new experiments, including studying space tissue regeneration. More from South China Morning Post: For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2025.
Daily Tribune
02-05-2025
- Science
- Daily Tribune
China's Shenzhou-19 astronauts return to Earth
Three Chinese astronauts returned to Earth yesterday after six months on the country's space station, state media footage showed, as Beijing advances towards its aim to become a major celestial power. Beijing has ploughed billions of dollars into its space programme in recent years, aiming to fly a crewed mission to the Moon by 2030 and eventually build a base on the lunar surface. Its latest launch last week ferried a trio of astronauts to the Tiangong space station, heralding the start of the Shenzhou-20 mission. They have taken over from Shenzhou-19 crew Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze, whose landing capsule touched down in the northern Inner Mongolia region on Wednesday. Pictures from state broadcaster CCTV showed the capsule, attached to a red-and-white striped parachute, descending through an azure sky before touching down in a cloud of brown desert dust. Its occupants had worked on the space station since October, where they carried out experiments and set a new record for the longest ever spacewalk. The crew were initially scheduled to return on Tuesday, but the mission was postponed due to bad weather at the landing site, according to Chinese authorities. Wang, 35, was China's only woman spaceflight engineer at the time of the launch, according to the Chinese Manned Space Agency (CMSA). Commander Cai, a 48-yearold former air force pilot, previously served aboard Tiangong as part of the Shenzhou-14 mission in 2022. Song, a 34-year-old onetime air force pilot, completed the group of spacefarers popularly dubbed "taikonauts" in China.
BBC News
01-05-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Crew return to Earth after six months on China space station
Three Chinese astronauts returned to Earth on Wednesday after six months on China's space station. The Shenzhou-19 mission carrying astronauts Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze undocked from the Tiangong space station on Tuesday 29 trio spent nine hours in transit back to Earth before touching down at the Dongfeng landing site in northern astronauts, who have been on the space station since October last year, have been setting records including the longest-ever spacewalk. What did the crew get up to in space? Astronauts Cai and Song spent more than nine hours outside the station during a mid-December spacewalk, which set the record. The team are also said to have performed a total of 86 scientific experiments during their time in orbit. One experiment included placing a brick made from lunar soil simulant on Tiagong's exterior to see how it holds up on the environment. China says the results could help them plan out a moon base. Who were the crew?
Asahi Shimbun
01-05-2025
- Science
- Asahi Shimbun
3 astronauts return to Earth after 6 months on China's space station
Chinese astronauts Wang Haoze, from left, Cai Xuzhe and Song Lingdong wave as they attend the see-off ceremony for the Shenzhou-19 mission at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China, in the early hours of Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo) BEIJING--Three Chinese astronauts landed back on Earth on Wednesday after six months on China's space station. The crew's landing module came down slowly after separating from the return vehicle, descending on a red-and-white parachute, in Dongfeng, in China's northern Inner Mongolia region on the edge of the Gobi Desert. Their return had been delayed by a day due to strong winds and low visibility. The area is prone to sandstorms this time of year. The astronauts, Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze, were launched to the Tiangong space station in October, and they turned over control of the station Tuesday to the new crew that recently arrived to replace them. The Shenzhou 20 that brought the new crew also carried equipment for space life sciences, microgravity physics and new technology for the space station. The Tiangong, or 'Heavenly Palace,' space station has made China a major player in a new era of space exploration and the use of permanent stations to conduct experiments in space, especially since it was entirely Chinese-built after the country was excluded from the International Space Station over U.S. national security concerns. China's space program is controlled by the People's Liberation Army, the military branch of the ruling Communist Party. The three Chinese astronauts have carried out experiments and improvements to the space station during their time in space. Two of the astronauts, Cai and Song, conducted a nine-hour spacewalk, the world's longest, during their mission, China's space agency said. The country's space program has grown rapidly in recent years. The space agency has landed an explorer on Mars and a rover on the far side of the moon. It aims to put a person on the moon before 2030.
The Print
30-04-2025
- Science
- The Print
3 Chinese astronauts return home safely after 6-month stay in space station
The three were taken out of the capsule one by one by the crew on the ground. The return capsule of the Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceship, carrying astronauts Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong, and Wang Haoze — China's third female astronaut and a space flight engineer, touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Beijing, Apr 30 (PTI) Three Chinese astronauts, including a woman, who spent six months in China's space station returned to Earth safely on Wednesday. They landed at a new site in the Inner Mongolia region, after poor weather had delayed their return from the Tiangong space station. On-site medical staff confirmed that the astronauts were in good condition, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said. Earlier, the Beijing Aerospace Control Centre issued a return command through the ground station, after which the orbital capsule of the Shenzhou-19 spaceship separated from the return capsule. It touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the CMSA said. The three astronauts stayed in orbit for 183 days, during which they carried out three spacewalks, breaking the previous world record for the longest single spacewalk set by the Shenzhou-18 crew members. The crew set the record during its first extravehicular activity on December 17, 2024, which lasted for nine hours, according to CMSA. The crew also carried out a wide range of space science experiments across various fields, including fundamental physics in microgravity, space materials science, space life sciences, aerospace medicine, and space technology, the CMSA said. The three astronauts were launched to the Tiangong space station in October, and they turned over control of the station on Tuesday to the new crew that recently arrived to replace them. China built its space station after it was reportedly excluded from the International Space Station (ISS) over concerns that Beijing's space programme is manned by its military, the People's Liberation Army (PLA). China is currently the only country to have a space station, while the ISS is a collaborative project of several nations. PTI KJV SCY SCY This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
