Hey space fans! 🌌 China's Shenzhou-18 spaceship just took a major leap—it's separated from the country's space station and is cruising back to Earth! 🌏
At 16:12 on Sunday, astronauts Ye Guangfu, Li Cong, and Li Guangsu waved goodbye to their cosmic home. With support from the ground crew, they wrapped up their mission by tidying up the station, sending off experimental data, and sharing leftover snacks (okay, maybe not the snacks 😉).
Before they left, they had a quick catch-up with the new crew from Shenzhou-19, who rocketed off on October 30. Say hello to Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong, and Wang Haoze—they'll be holding down the fort for the next six months! 🚀
Shenzhou-18 is currently orbiting Earth at about 390 kilometers up—yeah, that's high! 🛰️ They'll circle the planet five times before making their descent in about 7.5 hours, using the super-speedy \"rapid return mode\" that was first tried out with Shenzhou-13.
The journey home isn't just a free fall. The craft will brake to exit orbit, glide freely, re-enter the atmosphere (hello, fiery skies! 🌠), and finally parachute down for a landing. The whole process from braking to touchdown takes about 50 minutes.
The best part? All astronauts are feeling great, and the spaceship is in tip-top shape. Everything's going smoothly for their return trip home! 🏠
Stay tuned for more updates on this stellar journey! ✨
Reference(s):
China's Shenzhou-18 separates from space station combination
cgtn.com
