Chinese astronauts return safely to Earth

BEIJING, Sept. 28 (UPI) -- A team of Chinese astronauts who accomplished the country's first-ever spacewalk returned safely to Earth Sunday.

Chinese space officials said the team aboard the Shenzhou-7 spacecraft came down in a grassland at Siziwangqi in the central part of northern China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Xinhua, the state-run Chinese news agency, reported.

The team, back from a 68-hour flight, included astronauts Zhai Zhigang, Liu Boming and Jing Haipeng. Zhai, who performed a 20-minute spacewalk Saturday, marking the highlight of China's third manned space mission.

The astronauts made the landing after conducting complex procedures to ready the spacecraft's engine brakes and separate from the orbiter.

Officials had earlier cleared the landing site and said visibility was good as about 300 search and rescue staffers deployed across the Mongolian grassland.