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A spacewalk was conducted by Tang Hongbo and Jiang Xinlin, who have since returned safely to the Wentian lab module.
China launched the Shenzhou-17 manned spaceship on Oct. 26, 2023. Its crew conducted a repair test in their first extravehicular mission on Dec. 21 last year.
During their second extravehicular mission, the three taikonauts completed maintenance work on the Tianhe core module's solar wings, addressing the impact of small space particles. According to the agency, the solar wing's power generation function is operating normally after evaluation and analysis.
It was the first time the taikonauts completed the in-orbit maintenance of extravehicular facilities. The Shenzhou-17 crew also inspected the status of the space station's modules during their spacewalk.
The three taikonauts are scheduled to carry out a variety of space science and technology experiments during the remainder of their space journey, the agency said.
Robert Pearlman
Xinhau state news agency release
Shenzhou-17 separates from space station
China's Shenzhou-17 manned spaceship separated from the country's space station combination at 8:43 a.m. Tuesday (April 30) Beijing Time (8:43 p.m. EDT Monday or 0043 GMT), according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
Three astronauts aboard, Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie, and Jiang Xinlin, are returning to Earth after staying in orbit for about half a year.
The CMSA said that prior to the separation, the Shenzhou-17 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, and then carried out handover work with the Shenzhou-18 crew.
Robert Pearlman
Xinhau state news agency release
Chinese astronauts return safely with six-month space station mission accomplished
The three Shenzhou-17 astronauts returned to Earth safely on Tuesday afternoon (April 30), after completing a six-month space station mission.
Shenzhou-17's return capsule, carrying astronauts Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin, touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region at 5:46 p.m. Beijing Time (5:46 a.m. EDT or 0946 GMT), and the crew all left the return capsule by 6:37 p.m. (6:37 a.m. EDT or 1037 GMT), according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
The three astronauts, after staying in orbit for 187 days, are all in good health and the Shenzhou-17 manned mission was a success, the CMSA said.
Tang Hongbo has accumulated a total of 279 days in space over the course of two missions, Shenzhou-12 and Shenzhou-17, setting a new record for the longest spaceflight duration by a Chinese astronaut. His experience has been invaluable to regular crew rotations and spaceflight mission training, according to the CMSA.
Above: Astronaut Tang Hongbo is out of the return capsule of the Shenzhou-17 manned spaceship at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, April 30, 2024. (Xinhua/Bei He)
"I am proud and honored for my motherland," the 48-year-old mission commander said, sitting in front of the capsule. "While completing my tasks, I missed my motherland and hometown very much."
Tang Shengjie, 34, who has just completed his first space trip and is the youngest astronaut to have entered China's space station, said that the six months had been a journey of learning and exploration, during which he gained a lot of valuable experience. "I believe that fulfilling my dream of flying into space was not an endpoint but a new start."
Above: Astronaut Tang Shengjie is out of the return capsule of the Shenzhou-17 manned spaceship at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, April 30, 2024. (Xinhua/Bei He)
Jiang, 36, who has also just finished his first spaceflight, said, "Now that I am back in the embrace of our motherland, my heart is filled with excitement. In the coming days, I will continue to work diligently on the recovery tasks and strive to return to space as soon as possible."
The return capsule separated from Shenzhou-17's orbital capsule at 4:56 p.m. (4:56 a.m. EDT or 0856 GMT). Then the brake engine ignited, and the return capsule separated from the propulsion capsule, the CMSA said.
Soon after the return capsule landed, the ground search team arrived at the landing site.
Above: Astronaut Jiang Xinlin is out of the return capsule of the Shenzhou-17 manned spaceship at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, April 30, 2024. (Xinhua/Lian Zhen)
China launched the Shenzhou-17 manned spaceship on Oct. 26, 2023. It was the second crewed mission for the application and development stage of China's space station.
The Shenzhou-17 crew carried out 84 space application experiments and tests in orbit, and produced more than 200 samples covering multiple fields, including space life science and biotechnology, space medicine and space material science, said Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the CMSA, at a press conference on April 24.
Scientists will conduct further in-depth analysis of and research on these samples, aiming to achieve significant scientific application results in areas such as the preparation of high-performance multivariant alloys and functional crystal materials, and the inhibition of bone loss through the differentiation of stem cells.
Above: The return capsule of the Shenzhou-17 manned spaceship, carrying astronauts Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin, touches down at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, April 30, 2024. (Xinhua/Lian Zhen)
"In addition, the Shenzhou-17 mission also saw Chinese astronauts complete the first in-orbit maintenance of extravehicular facilities, fully showcasing the role of humans in addressing unforeseen issues encountered in space," Lin said.
The space station's core module, Tianhe, had previously suffered a partial loss of power supply due to the impact of space debris on the solar wing's power cables.
The Shenzhou-17 crew, in two extravehicular activities, completed maintenance work on the Tianhe core module's solar wings, solving the impact problem, according to Lin.
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