Ceremony: Shenzhou-17 Crew Ready for Earth Return | China Space Station

Ceremony: Shenzhou-17 Crew Ready for Earth Return | China Space Station

The Shenzhou-17 astronauts handed over control of the Tiangong space station to the newly arrived Shenzhou-18 crew on Sunday, April 28, 2024, and are ready to return to Earth, said the China Manned Space Agency.

The three Shenzhou-17 astronauts have completed all set tasks for their six-month stay in space.

At around 15:00 (Beijing Time), the two crews held a handover ceremony, with Shenzhou-17 astronauts Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin, and Shenzhou-18 astronauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong, and Li Guangsu signing their names on handover confirmation documents.

"I hereby pass the hatch key symbolizing the baton to you. Starting from now, you officially take over the operation and management of the space station," said Tang, mission commander of the Shenzhou-17 crew.

"Alright. We, the crew of Shenzhou 18, will surely do our utmost to run our leg of this space relay of the Shenzhou family," said Ye, mission commander of the Shenzhou-18 crew.

The Shenzhou-17 crew are due to return to Earth on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, aboard the Shenzhou-17 spaceship.

The Dongfeng Landing Site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region is now preparing for the return of Shenzhou-17 from space.

The Shenzhou-18 crew entered the space station in the early hours of Friday (Beijing Time).

Shenzhou-17 Crew:

Hongbo Tang (汤洪波, Commander)

Shengjie Tang (唐胜杰, Mission Specialist)

Xinlin Jiang (江新林, Mission Specialist)

Shenzhou-18 Crew:

Ye Guangfu (叶光富, commander)

Li Cong (李聪, mission specialist)

Li Guangsu (李广苏, mission specialist)

Video Credit: CCTV

Duration: 1 minute

Release Date: April 28, 2024

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