China's Shenzhou-12 mission crew return to earth

Three Chinese astronauts completed their three-month Shenzhou-12 mission and returned to Earth safely on Friday, Chinese media reported.

A spacecraft carrying Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo, touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

The three taikonauts came out of the return capsule one hour and 40 minutes after the touchdown, Global Times reported citing the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center.

Each crew member was assigned several medical staff to conduct preliminary health check-ups, as well as air-condition examinations and the capsule's attitude upon its return, to double-check if there was any risk for the safe exit of the crew, Chinese media reported.

According to Global Times, the mission will soon be followed with another manned mission of Shenzhou-13, which observers believed will take place in a few weeks in October, following the launch of another cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-3 that will deliver the life necessities and experimental equipment to Tianhe core cabin for the next crew.

The next crew is expected to stay in orbit for an even longer six months, which may include the first female taikonaut in the space station building stage.

( With inputs from ANI )