China Completes Tiangong Space Station Construction

Last Crew Returns to Earth After Six-Month Mission

Beijing, China - October 15, 2021

The third and final crew of China's Tiangong space station returned to Earth on October 15, 2021, after a successful six-month mission. The crew, consisting of taikonauts Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping, and Ye Guangfu, landed in the Gobi Desert in Inner Mongolia.

The crew's mission marked the completion of China's ambitious space station project, which began in April 2021 with the launch of the Tianhe core module. The completion of Tiangong makes China the third country, after the United States and Russia, to operate a permanent space station.

Tiangong is designed to support long-term human habitation in space and will be used for a variety of scientific research and technological experiments. The station is expected to operate for at least 10 years and will be used as a base for future missions to the Moon and Mars.