Chinese astronauts return to Earth after Beijing's longest crewed space mission

The three Chinese astronauts Ye Guangfu right), Zhai Zhigang and Wang Yaping (left) waving after entering the space station core module Tianhe. - Xinhua

BEIJING, April 16 (AFP): Three Chinese astronauts landed in northern China on Saturday (April 16) after 183 days in space, state broadcaster CCTV said, ending the country’s longest crewed space mission to date.

The Shenzhou-13 spacecraft is the latest mission in Beijing’s drive to become a major space power rivalling the US, after landing a rover on Mars and sending probes to the Moon.