China’s Shenzhou-20 crew returned safely to Earth on Friday aboard the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft, marking the first time an alternative return procedure has been successfully carried out in the nation’s space station program.
The contingency plan was activated after the original return vehicle, Shenzhou-20, was suspected to have been struck by space debris. The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced that the return mission was fully successful.
By 5:21 p.m. (Beijing Time), all three astronauts—Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie—had exited the Shenzhou-21 return capsule. The crew spent 204 days in orbit and are reported to be in good health, according to the CMSA.