The Shenzhou XX mission crew returned to Earth on Friday afternoon, nine days later than their scheduled landing, ending an extended stay aboard the Tiangong space station after suspected debris left their spaceship with a cracked window.

A reentry capsule carrying the three astronauts — mission commander Senior Colonel Chen Dong and crew members Colonel Chen Zhongrui and Colonel Wang Jie — touched down at the Dongfeng Landing Site in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region at 4:40 pm, after flying more than five hours on the Earth-bound journey.

Following safety checks outside the capsule, ground recovery personnel from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, the home port for all of China's manned spaceflights, opened the hatch of the bell-shaped capsule and conducted a preliminary examination of the astronauts' health status.

The crew members were then helped out of the capsule and seated on chairs to share their experiences in a live program with a reporter from China Central Television before being taken to medical examination vehicles.

Chen Dong said that humanity's path of exploring the universe has never been smooth, and instead, it is characterized by difficulties and challenges, "and this is exactly why we chose to take this path".

He said: "In my eyes, this mission was not only a chance of self-improvement, but also a test to us, and I'm proud to say that we have successfully completed all of our tasks."

The commander said he wished to thank the great motherland and those who worked hard to ensure the crew a safe return.

Wang said: "It feels very good that the gravity has come back. … There is no end to space exploration, and I will continue to devote myself to this great cause."

The Shenzhou XX crew, which represented China's 15th manned spaceflight and comprised the ninth group of residents aboard the Tiangong space station, stayed a total of 204 days in space, carrying out four spacewalks and many scientific and technological assignments. They were originally scheduled to fly back on Nov 5 after handing over the orbital outpost on Nov 4 to three peers from the Shenzhou XXI, who arrived on Nov 1.

However, their return was postponed after it came to light that the Shenzhou XX spaceship's reentry capsule had possibly been hit by tiny pieces of space debris on its viewport window. After a decision was made to rearrange the crew's return, mission planners and engineers promptly started following emergency response measures based on the principle of "putting the safety of astronauts first".

Designers and engineers conducted comprehensive simulation analyses, tests and safety assessments to examine the condition of the hardware on the Shenzhou XX vessel. It was then decided that Chen Dong's team would ride on the Shenzhou XXI spaceship's reentry capsule, which was originally designated for the Shenzhou XXI mission crew, for their return trip.

According to the China Manned Space Agency, the Shenzhou XXII spaceship will be launched in due course to dock with the Tiangong space station.

zhaolei@chinadaily.com.cn