The China Manned Space Agency has declared the Shenzhou-17 mission a complete success as its three crew members returned to Earth on Tuesday afternoon after their six-month mission in space.

The agency said astronauts Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin were in good health conditions as they emerged from the spacecraft's return capsule that touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in Inner Mongolia.

Tang Hongbo, commander of the Shenzhou-17 mission and the first to step out of the capsule, thanked everyone for their support.

"I feel so proud of my country," he said. "Every time the spacecraft flew over the motherland, I always searched for my homeland with a sense of longing and pride."

Tang Shengjie described it as a dream come true, and said he can't wait for the next mission.

"For me, the six-month mission is a learning journey for me, and also a journey for exploration. I learned a lot; there is a vast universe and there's no end for me to continue to explore."

Earlier on Tuesday, the Shenzhou-17 separated from the country's space station combination and started its journey back to Earth.

Before the separation, the Shenzhou-17 crew – with the assistance of the ground staff – completed various tasks such as setting the status of the space station combination and carried out handover work with the Shenzhou-18 crew.

Tang Hongbo has now accumulated a total of 279 days in space over the course of two missions, Shenzhou-12 and Shenzhou-17, setting a new record for the longest spaceflight by a Chinese astronaut.

The Shenzhou-17 crew were launched to the Tiangong space station last October. The Shenzhou-18 was launched last week. (Additional reporting by Xinhua)
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Last updated: 2024-04-30 HKT 22:02