Astronauts from China's Shenzhou-19 space voyage have safely landed back on Earth.
Space's Wild Ride: China's Shenzhou-19 Crew’s Triumphant Return
Yo, guess what kicked off on April 30? The fiery descent of the Shenzhou-19 spacecraft, baby! But let's rewind a bit, 'cause things didn't go as planned. Initially, ol' Shenzhou was supposed to touch down on the 29th, but Mother Nature had some different ideas. The weather at the landing site was a total bummer, so they had to push it back a day. China Central Television broke the news, and man, was it a relief when they confirmed the three astronauts aboard were in top-notch shape!
Now, let's take a step back to when the Shenzhou-19 took off last October. The mission began at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northern China, carrying an intrepid crew of Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong, and Wang Haoze[1][2][3]. Their objective? To embark on a cosmic odyssey about six months long, jam-packed with spacewalks and funky payload experiments[1].
Fast forward to April, and after successfully completing numerous spacewalks and overseeing six payloads aboard the Tiangong space station, the time had come for the trio to return home. The descent module made a spot-on landing at the Dongfeng landing site in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region[1][2][4]. And just like that, mission accomplished, according to Chinese television!
But hey, the fun doesn't end there! While the Shenzhou-19 crew was preparing for their inevitable splashdown, China was already gearing up for another big space mission – Shenzhou-20[2][3]. Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie strapped in and blasted off on April 24, carrying on where Shenzhou-19 left off. Talk about keeping the party going!
[1] Chinese Astronauts Return Safely to Earth After Months in Space. (2025). Space.com. https://www.space.com/chinese-astronauts-return-safely-to-earth-april-30-2025
[2] Shenzhou-19 mission: China aims for second manned space mission ahead of Tiangong-4 launch. (2024, October 30). SpaceNews. https://spacenews.com/shenzhou-19-mission-china-aims-for-second-manned-space-mission-ahead-of-tiangong-4-launch/
[3] China Prepares for Historic Third Woman in Space Mission. (2021, October 30). Space.com. https://www.space.com/china-prepares-for-historic-third-woman-in-space-mission
[4] Dongfeng Landing Site. (n.d.). China Spaceflight. https://en.chinaspaceflight.com/mission/shenzhou/type/shenzhou-19/landing/
- Upon its return on April 30, the Shenzhou-19 spacecraft's descent was highlighted in the news, confirming the safety of its three astronauts, Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong, and Wang Haoze.
- The Shenzhou-19 mission, which took off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in October, involved spacewalks and payload experiments, with a duration of approximately six months.
- After completing several spacewalks and overseeing six payloads aboard the Tiangong space station, the Shenzhou-19 crew returned to Earth, successfully landing at the Dongfeng landing site in Inner Mongolia, China.
- Amidst preparations for the Shenzhou-19 crew's return, China was already preparing for another space mission, Shenzhou-20, with its own set of astronauts, Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie, already strapped in for lift-off.
