Shenzhou-22 Crewed Spacecraft Return Capsule Successfully Lands; Shenzhou-21 Crew Returns in Triumph
China Military Network, Beijing, May 29 (Reporter Niu Kaixuan) — According to the China Manned Space Agency, at 20:11 Beijing time on May 29, 2026, the Shenzhou-21 crew successfully landed aboard the Shenzhou-22 crewed spacecraft at the Dongfeng Landing Site. On-site medical monitoring and health care personnel confirmed that astronauts Zhang Lu, Wu Fei, and Zhang Hongzhang were in good physical condition, and the mission was a complete success.
At 19:20, the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center issued the return command via ground tracking and control stations, and the orbital module and return capsule of the Shenzhou-22 crewed spacecraft successfully separated. Subsequently, the spacecraft's return retro-engines ignited, the return capsule separated from the propulsion module, and the return capsule successfully landed. The search-and-rescue detachment tasked with search, rescue, and recovery promptly located the target and arrived at the landing site. After the return capsule hatch was opened, medical monitoring and health care personnel confirmed that the astronauts were in good health.
The Shenzhou-21 crew entered the Chinese Space Station on November 1, 2025. The three astronauts remained in orbit for 210 days, setting a new record for the longest in-orbit stay by a single Chinese crew. During this period, they conducted three extravehicular activities, completed tasks including inspection photography of the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft return capsule porthole and installation of space debris protection devices on the space station, carried out multiple cargo ingress and egress missions, and — in close coordination with ground-based scientific researchers — completed a large number of space science experiments and tests in fields including microgravity fundamental physics, space materials science, space life sciences, aerospace medicine, and space technology. In addition, during their in-orbit flight, the Shenzhou-21 crew personally experienced and witnessed several historic moments in the history of China's manned spaceflight program: the first time a spacecraft's return was delayed due to a space debris impact, the first crew spacecraft swap-and-return, and the first spacecraft emergency launch. They experienced and witnessed the unforgettable moments in which the entire manned spaceflight program — heaven and earth united in purpose (天地同心), with the will of ten thousand as one — carried out emergency operations.
The Shenzhou-22 crewed spacecraft, aboard which the Shenzhou-21 crew returned, lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on November 25, 2025, executing the first emergency launch mission in China's manned spaceflight program, and subsequently successfully docked with the forward port of the space station's Tianhe core module. The Shenzhou-21 crewed spacecraft, aboard which the crew had originally departed, had on November 14, 2025 taken over from the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft — which had been struck by space debris — and safely escorted the Shenzhou-20 crew home.
Image credit: China Manned Space Agency