3 astronauts return to Earth after 6 months on China’s space station

BEIJING (AP) — 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.