In Space-Shenzhou-21 Crew Return/Undocking
In Space-Shenzhou-21 Crew Return/Undocking
Dateline : May 29, 2026
Location : In Space
Duration : 1'05
In Space - May 29, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of Shenzhou-22 manned spaceship separating from space station combination; animation showing relative position
China's Shenzhou-22 crewed spaceship undocked from the space station combination at 14:44 (Beijing Time) on Friday, and will commence the return mission of sending the Shenzhou-21 astronauts Zhang Lu, Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang back to Earth, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
The spaceship is scheduled to return to the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region later.
The CMSA said that prior to the separation, the Shenzhou-21 crew, with the assistance of the ground staff, completed various tasks such as setting the status of the space station combination, processing and transmitting the experimental data, and transferring remaining supplies. The Shenzhou-21 crew also carried out handover work and exchanged in-orbit work experience with the Shenzhou-23 crew who entered the space station on May 25.
The Shenzhou-21 crew's planned stay in-orbit was extended by approximately one month to further verify technologies regarding the long-term stay of astronauts in orbit and fully use the supplies delivered by the Shenzhou-22 spacecraft in an emergency launch.
The Shenzhou-21 crew's original spaceship, which sent them into space on Oct 31, 2025, was previously returned to Earth carrying the astronauts of the preceding Shenzhou-20 mission after tiny cracks were found in the viewport window of the Shenzhou-20 manned spacecraft's return capsule. That spacecraft was later safely brought back to Earth.
ID : 8481841
Published : 2026-05-29 16:51
Last Modified : 2026-05-29 20:56:10
Source : China Central Television (CCTV)
Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland
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