China's Shenzhou-18 crew returns to Earth

Nov. 4 (UPI) -- Three Chinese astronauts returned to Earth early Monday after six months in space as part of the Shenzhou-18 mission at Beijing's orbiting space station.

The astronauts -- Ye Guangfu, Li Cong, and Li Guangsu -- touched down at the China Manned Space Agency's Dongfeng landing site in northern China shortly after midnight on Monday morning, Beijing time.

The crew members shared the space station with the Shenzhou-19 crew for several days on the Tiangong space station before climbing into the spaceship they arrived in and returning to Earth. They returned with 28 science projects, including the development of space fiber lasers and the creation of extraterrestrial materials while studying the possibility of humans living longer in space.

The space agency said that all the astronauts were in good health after their return to Earth.

The astronauts also held emergency drills before leaving and took video of the Gobi Desert's Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center and the Wenchang spaceport on Hainan Island.

China's Tiangong space station is about 20% the size of the International Space Station but the CMSA has big plans for it, including adding three new modules to it as well as a "Hubble-class" space telescope where repairs would be made.

Tiangong is now manned by the Shenzhou-19 crew of Cai Xuzhu, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze.