Shenzhou XVII crew returns to Earth

Tang Hongbo and his teammates, who are the sixth crew to inhabit the Tiangong, took over the space station in late October from their peers in the Shenzhou XVI mission.

After this mission, Tang Hongbo has spent 279 days in orbit, extending his lead as the Chinese astronaut to have spent the longest time in space.

Tang made his first journey into space in June 2021 on the three-month Shenzhou XII mission, becoming one of the space station's first inhabitants. During that mission, he spent 92 days and four hours in orbit.