en.Wedoany.com Reported - At 20:11 on May 29, the return capsule of the Shenzhou-22 manned spacecraft, carrying Shenzhou-21 astronauts Zhang Lu, Wu Fei, and Zhang Hongzhang, successfully landed at the Dongfeng landing site. By 20:59, all three astronauts had exited the capsule safely and smoothly, in good health, marking the successful conclusion of the Shenzhou-21 crew's space journey.
This return took place against a special mission background. The Shenzhou-21 crew entered the China Space Station in November 2025 and stayed in orbit for 210 days, setting a new record for the longest single-crew in-orbit stay by Chinese astronauts. During the mission, the crew carried out work in areas such as space science and applications, space medicine, space technology experiments, space station maintenance, and space-ground science outreach interactions, while also witnessing several key milestones in China's manned spaceflight missions. Zhang Lu, Wu Fei, and Zhang Hongzhang returned aboard the Shenzhou-22 manned spacecraft. After undergoing procedures including orbital module separation, re-entry braking, propulsion module separation, and passage through the blackout zone, the return capsule landed steadily in the western zone of the Dongfeng landing site. On-site medical supervision and medical support personnel confirmed that all three astronauts were in good condition.
The Shenzhou-21 mission also demonstrated the more complex in-orbit operational capabilities of the China Space Station during its application phase. Public information shows that during their stay in orbit, the crew advanced experiments in fields such as space life science, space materials science, microgravity fundamental physics, space medicine, and new space technologies. They completed phased tasks including China's first in-orbit closed-cage breeding of mice, in-orbit growth of low-defect indium selenide crystals, aeroponic cultivation of cherry tomatoes and wheat in orbit, and in-orbit ignition of a new type of ionic liquid propellant. Payload specialist Zhang Hongzhang also participated in in-situ electrochemical optical research on lithium-ion batteries for space applications, capturing images of lithium dendrite growth processes in a microgravity environment, providing an experimental foundation for space battery safety and high-specific-energy battery research. These details indicate that the China Space Station is progressing from regular crew residency into a phase of long-term experimentation, engineering verification, and the accumulation of space application achievements.
Subsequent observation will focus on the collation of scientific research data from the Shenzhou-21 mission, medical recovery assessments for the astronauts after their return, and how subsequent space station crews will continue to advance in-orbit experiments and platform maintenance. The smooth exit of all Shenzhou-21 astronauts Zhang Lu, Wu Fei, and Zhang Hongzhang marks the safe conclusion of this long-duration stay mission and has accumulated important experience for the regular operation of the China Space Station and future manned spaceflight engineering missions.
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