The crew of China’s Shenzhou 16 mission captured incredible images of the Tiangong Space Station as they departed on their way back to Earth.
The pictures, taken with a high-definition camera, represent the first time the full structure of the Tiangong space station has been fully imaged since it arrived in orbit.
Prior to disembarking, the Shenzhou 16 team handed control of the space station over to the Shenzhou 17 crew, who arrived at Tiangong on Oct. 26. The three taikonauts (Chinese astronauts) consisting of commander Jing Haipeng, Zhu Yangzhu and Gui Haichao then left Tiangong on Oct. 30 in the Shenzhou 16 return capsule and arrived back from low-Earth orbit on the same day.
As they made their way toward Earth, the crew turned their cameras toward their former temporary home, capturing breathtaking views of the laboratory in orbit above Earth.
Located at 217 and 280 miles (340 to 450 kilometers) over the planet, the first unit of the Tiangong known as Tianhe arrived in low-Earth orbit in 2021. Its first crew, Shenzhou 12, arrived at the space station on June 16, 2021. They spent 90 days at the station, which was three times longer than any prior taikonaut mission.
The second and third units of the space station, Wentian and Mengtian, were launched in 2022 and 2023, respectively. This completed the 180-foot (55-meter) long station, which weighs 77 tons and is about 20% as large as the International Space Station.
Since then, Tiangong — whose name means “Heavenly Palace” — has hosted a rotating crew of three taikonauts who have performed a host of important science experiments, something the CMSA aims to maintain for at least a decade.
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