' fill='%230E4F97'%3E%3Cg id='Group-5' transform='translate(370.000000, 11.000000)'%3E%3Cg id='avatar' transform='translate(6.000000, 4.000000)'%3E%3Ccircle id='Oval' cx='8' cy='4' r='4'%3E%3C/circle%3E%3Cpath d='M7.12864205,10 L8.87135795,10 C11.558649,10 14.0087196,11.5384024 15.1762205,13.958831 L16,15.6666667 L16,15.6666667 L15.3374858,17.5134983 C15.228016,17.8186575 14.9774027,18.051811 14.6651459,18.1389975 L8,20 L8,20 L1.33485405,18.1389975 C1.02259733,18.051811 0.771984007,17.8186575 0.662514216,17.5134983 L0,15.6666667 L0,15.6666667 L0.823779545,13.958831 C1.99128041,11.5384024 4.44135104,10 7.12864205,10 Z' id='Rectangle'%3E%3C/path%3E%3C/g%3E%3C/g%3E%3C/g%3E%3C/g%3E%3C/svg%3E)
3 Chinese astronauts land back on Earth following 6-month mission
The Shenzhou-15 and Shenzhou-14 crew take a group picture with their thumbs up after a historic gathering in space on Nov. 30, 2022. (Guo Zhongzheng/Xinhua News Agency via AP)
Three Chinese astronauts land in a northern desert after six months working to complete construction of the Tiangong station, a symbol of the country’s ambitious space program, state TV reports.
A capsule carrying commander Chen Dong and astronauts Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe touches down at a landing site in the Gobi Desert in northern China at approximately 1210 GMT, China Central Television reports.
The three astronauts were part of the Shenzhou-14 mission, which launched in June. The Tiangong is part of official Chinese plans for a permanent human presence in orbit.
