Weather delays return of 3 Chinese astronauts from space station

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) - China has postponed the return of its Shenzhou-19 spaceship crew due to unfavorable weather concerns, state media reported Tuesday.

The three-member Shenzhou-19 crew was scheduled to depart the Tiangong space station and return to Earth on Tuesday, concluding their mission which began in October.

"To ensure the safety and health of the taikonauts and the complete success of the mission, the return of the Shenzhou-19 manned spacecraft, originally scheduled for April 29, has been postponed to a more favorable time in the near future," Beijing-based Xinhua News reported.

The delay was attributed to poor weather at the Dongfeng landing site, which currently does not meet mission safety requirements.

The postponement comes just days after China’s three-member Shenzhou-20 crew successfully docked at the Tiangong space station on Friday, meeting the Shenzhou-19 crew.

During their six-month stay aboard the station, the Shenzhou-20 crew is set to do a range of scientific experiments, including studies on space life science, human research, microgravity physics, and new space technologies.

*Writing by Aamir Latif