BEIJING - The success of the Shenzhou XIII mission represents a major victory of China's plan to explore space, experts from different countries have said, calling for closer international cooperation on science and technology.

Three Chinese astronauts of the Shenzhou XIII manned spaceship have completed their six-month space station mission and returned to Earth safely on Saturday.

The mission marks that China has completed the verification of key technologies of its space station, and also sets a record for Chinese astronauts' duration in orbit, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

China's Shenzhou XIII mission "spent a national-record six months in orbit," with Wang Yaping becoming "the first Chinese woman ever to conduct a spacewalk," US space and astronomy news website Space.com reported.