Shenzhou-20 Astronaut Crew Returns Safely to Beijing After 204 Days in Orbit, Setting a New National Record
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China’s Shenzhou-20 astronauts returned safely to Beijing after 204 days in orbit, breaking the national record for the longest mission by a single crew.
According to the China Manned Space Agency, the Shenzhou-20 astronaut crew arrived safely in Beijing on November 14, 2025.
The three astronauts will enter a period of quarantine and recovery, undergoing comprehensive medical examinations and health assessments, followed by a period of rest. They will later meet with the media in Beijing.
As previously reported, at 16:40 Beijing time on November 14, the return capsule of the Shenzhou-21 crewed spacecraft successfully landed at the Dongfeng landing site, bringing home the Shenzhou-20 crew—Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie—after a total of 204 days in orbit.
Four mice that accompanied the astronauts aboard the space station during the Shenzhou-21 mission, along with a large quantity of experimental data and samples, also returned safely.
With 204 days spent in orbit, astronauts Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie set a new national record for the longest on-orbit stay by a single Chinese crew. During the mission, they completed four spacewalks and multiple cargo transfer operations.
Working closely with ground-based science teams, the crew carried out a wide range of space science experiments across microgravity physics, materials science, life sciences, space medicine, and space technology.
