The three crew members of the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft -- Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie -- are in a medical quarantine and undergoing comprehensive medical examinations and health evaluations. The astronauts landed safely on Friday at 5:21 p.m. (Beijing Time) at the Dongfeng landing site in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in northern China. After this quarantine period, the astronauts will meet with the press in Beijing. The arrival took place on Friday at the Dongfeng landing site, located in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in northern China, at 17:21 (Beijing time), reported the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). Chen Dong, the commander of the crew and the first Chinese astronaut to accumulate more than 400 days in orbit, was the first to exit the return capsule after landing. The astronauts spent 204 days in orbit, setting a new record for the longest space stay among Chinese astronaut crews. According to Xinhua news agency, the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft undocked from the space station combination. The Beijing Aerospace Control Center issued a return order via the ground station, and the spacecraft's orbital module separated from the return capsule. The return of these three astronauts, previously scheduled for 10 days ago, was suspended due to a possible impact from tiny space debris on their spacecraft, the Shenzhou-20, which they were supposed to return to Earth in. Repairs The CMSA stated that the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft does not meet the requirements for the safe return of the astronauts and will remain in orbit to continue with relevant experiments. Tiny cracks have been found in the observation window of the Shenzhou-20's return capsule, which were most likely caused by external impacts from space debris, according to the CMSA. The Shenzhou-22 spacecraft will be launched to the Tiangong space station at an appropriate time in the future, according to the CMSA.
