The Shenzhou-14 crew from China, who spent six months on the space station, has finished all of its work and will return to Earth on Sunday.
According to the Global Times, the Shenzhou-14 spacecraft will touch down at night at the Dongfeng landing site in the Gobi Desert of North China. On Thursday, Dec. 1, the facility carried out its final full-system integrated drill for its search and rescue operation.
Chinese astronauts Cai Xuzhe (L), Chen Dong (C) and Liu Yang pose during a ceremony prior to the launch at the Shenzhou-14 mission at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest Chinas Gansu Province on June 5, 2022. - China on June 5 launched a rocket carrying three astronauts on a mission to complete construction on its new space station, the latest milestone in Beijing's drive to become a major space power.
End of Building Phase
Shenzhou-14 marks the final mission in China's manned space program's three-stage development strategy and the end of the China Space Station's building phase.
Global Times noted that their anticipated return at night entails extra requirements for on-site rescue and risk prevention because it would be harder to locate and access the ship at that time.
Around 7:10 a.m. EST, the crew is scheduled to touch down in their reentry capsule in the Gobi Desert close to the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.
On June 5, the Shenzhou 14 trio launched from Jiuquan for the Tianhe space station core module and oversaw the entry of two new modules into orbit, assisting in the completion of the T-shaped Tiangong.
On November 29, they met the departing Shenzhou 15 crew, marking the first time China had six astronauts in space simultaneously, as per Space.com.
Read also: China Expands its Space Program After Finishing the Construction of the New Tiangong Space Station
Direct Handover with Shenzhou-15
The Shenzhou-14 crew members will prepare primarily for their return to Earth during the approximately five-day direct handover with the Shenzhou-15 crew, who will concentrate on setting up the space station's operational condition, acclimating to space, and finalizing the transfer.
The Shenzhou-14 crew has also successfully completed numerous platform tests and work on the space station's equipment and other projects.
They finished installing experiment cabinets and unlocking them in two lab modules, conducted various technical and scientific experiments, and gave one "Tiangong classroom" space lecture.
China hopes to have the Tiangong space station finished by the end of 2022, while the Xuntian telescope module is expected to launch in 2023.
Since the launch of Tianhe in April 2021, Shenzhou 14 marked China's third crewed mission to the Tiangong space station.
Shenzhou 12 was launched in June 2021 and operated for three months. Shenzhou 13 was established in October last year and served for six months in space before returning to Earth in April.
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