The Shenzhou-18 crew, consisting of Chinese astronauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong, and Li Guangsu, safely landed in China’s Inner Mongolia region early Monday after a six-month mission aboard the Tiangong space station.
Touching down at 1:24 a.m., the crew’s return marks the successful completion of China's latest space mission, with state broadcaster Xinhua confirming all three astronauts are in good health.
The mission represents another milestone in China’s ambitious space exploration program.
The astronauts did dozens of experiments on space medicine, basic physics and space life sciences during their time in space, Xinhua said.
The astronauts are coming back after they welcomed a replacement three-person crew last week for another six-month stay.
Tiangong Space Station was completed two years ago and orbits the Earth.
China is blocked from the International Space Station program, where astronauts from other nations travel, because of US concerns over the military's involvement in the country's space program.
The Chinese space station has only seen Chinese astronauts so far, but a space agency spokesperson told they are in discussions to select and train astronauts from other nations, Chinese government broadcaster Xinhua reported.