China's Shenzhou 11 manned space capsule
returns to Earth
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[November 18, 2016]
BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Shenzhou
11 space capsule landed safely in the northern region of Inner Mongolia
on Friday with two astronauts aboard, state media said, completing the
country's longest manned space mission to date.
China Central Television showed images of the craft - whose name
translates as "Divine Vessel" - on the ground flanked by Chinese flags
and support teams. State news agency Xinhua said the capsule had touched
down "successfully" just after 2 p.m.
The two astronauts, Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong, spent 30 days aboard the
Tiangong 2 space laboratory, or "Heavenly Palace 2", which China is
using to carry out experiments ahead of a longer-range plan to have a
permanent manned space station around 2022.
They did not immediately emerge from the capsule as CCTV said they were
undergoing medical examination, but mission commander Zhang Youxia, who
is also a senior military official, said in a televised speech that they
were in "good condition".
"The Tiangong 2 and Shenzhou 11 flight duties were a complete success,"
Zhang said.
Tiangong 2 will remain in its orbit and next docks with Tianzhou 1,
China's first cargo spacecraft, which is set to be launched in April
next year, according to state media.
In a manned space mission in 2013, three Chinese astronauts spent 15
days in orbit and docked with a space laboratory, the Tiangong 1.
Advancing China's space program is a priority for Beijing, with
President Xi Jinping calling for the country to establish itself as a
space power.
The U.S. Defense Department has highlighted China's increasing space
capabilities, saying it was pursuing activities aimed at preventing
other nations using space-based assets in a crisis.
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Shenzhou-11 manned spacecraft carrying astronauts Jing Haipeng and
Chen Dong blasts off from the launchpad in Jiuquan, China, October
17, 2016. REUTERS/Stringer
China has been working to develop its space program for military,
commercial and scientific purposes, but is still playing catch-up to
established space powers the United States and Russia. It insists
the program is for peaceful purposes.
China's Jade Rabbit moon rover landed on the moon in late 2013 to
great national fanfare, but soon suffered severe technical
difficulties.
The rover and the Chang'e 3 probe that carried it there were the
first "soft landing" on the moon since 1976. Both the United States
and the Soviet Union had accomplished the feat earlier.
China will launch a "core module" for its first space station some
time around 2018, a senior official said in April, part of a plan
for a permanent manned space station in service around 2022.
(Reporting by Michael Martina and Ben Blanchard; Editing by Nick
Macfie)
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