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BEIJING—A Chinese space capsule with three astronauts aboard returned to Earth on Friday
from a 13-day mission to an orbiting module that is a prototype for a future permanent station.
The Shenzhou 9 parachuted to a landing on the grasslands of the country's sprawling Inner Mongolia
region at about 10 a.m. local time. China declared the mission to the Tiangong 1 module—the country's
longest and most challenging space mission yet—a major stride for its ambitious space program.
About an hour later, mission commander and veteran astronaut Jing Haipeng, 45, emerged from the
capsule, followed by crew mates Liu Wang, 43, and 33-year-old Liu Yang, China's first female astronaut.
BEIJING—A Chinese space capsule with three astronauts aboard returned to Earth on Friday
from a 13-day mission to an orbiting module that is a prototype for a future permanent station.
The Shenzhou 9 parachuted to a landing on the grasslands of the country's sprawling Inner Mongolia
region at about 10 a.m. local time. China declared the mission to the Tiangong 1 module—the country's
longest and most challenging space mission yet—a major stride for its ambitious space program.
About an hour later, mission commander and veteran astronaut Jing Haipeng, 45, emerged from the
capsule, followed by crew mates Liu Wang, 43, and 33-year-old Liu Yang, China's first female astronaut.
