Overview
- The three-member Shenzhou‑21 crew landed at the Dongfeng site in Inner Mongolia on May 29 after about 210 days aboard the Tiangong space station, and ground medics reported the astronauts were in good condition.
- They returned inside the uncrewed Shenzhou‑22 capsule that China had launched in November as an emergency spare after a cracked viewport was found on the Shenzhou‑20 spacecraft.
- China’s rolling backup approach kept a rocket and spacecraft ready at Jiuquan, enabling a rapid uncrewed launch and a safe crew swap that avoided using a damaged capsule.
- During the mission the crew performed multiple spacewalks to inspect and fit a protective cover on the damaged window and commander Zhang Lu set a Chinese record with seven career EVAs.
- Shenzhou‑23 has already replaced the returned crew on Tiangong with one astronaut slated for a year‑long stay, a step planners say will deepen human‑health and operational research for future lunar missions.