China News
SINO DAILY
Bad weather postpones return of Chinese astronauts to Earth
Bad weather postpones return of Chinese astronauts to Earth
by AFP Staff Writers
Beijing (AFP) April 29, 2025

China postponed the return of three astronauts from its space station due to bad weather on Tuesday, delaying the mission until an "appropriate time", state media said.

The Shenzhou-19 crew have been working on Beijing's Tiangong space station since October and were scheduled to descend to Earth on Tuesday afternoon.

"Because the recent meteorological conditions at the Dongfeng landing site do not meet the mission requirements... (the mission) will be postponed and implemented at an appropriate time in the near future," Xinhua news agency said.

The delay would "ensure the lives, health and safety of the astronauts and the successful completion of the mission", it added, citing the China Manned Space Program (CMS).

The trio -- Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze -- have carried out experiments during their six-month stay on Tiangong and set a new record for the longest ever spacewalk.

Wang, 35, was China's only woman spaceflight engineer at the time of the launch, according to the CMS.

Commander Cai, a 48-year-old former air force pilot, previously served aboard Tiangong as part of the Shenzhou-14 mission in 2022.

Song, a 34-year-old one-time air force pilot, completes the group of spacefarers popularly dubbed "taikonauts" in China.

Their three replacements arrived on the space station last week after blasting off from a remote desert base in the country's northwest.

Beijing has ploughed billions of dollars into its space programme in recent years in an effort to achieve what President Xi Jinping describes as the Chinese people's "space dream".

The world's second-largest economy has bold plans to send a crewed mission to the Moon by the end of the decade and eventually build a base on the lunar surface.

China's space programme is the third to put humans in orbit and has also landed robotic rovers on Mars and the Moon as it catches up with the two most established cosmic powers, the United States and Russia.

Crewed by rotating teams of three astronauts every six months, Tiangong -- whose name means "celestial palace" in Chinese -- is its tour de force.

Related Links
China News from SinoDaily.com

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
SINO DAILY
New York ex-cop jailed for hounding US residents for China
New York (AFP) April 16, 2025
A retired New York policeman was sentenced Wednesday to 18 months in prison for his role trying to force the repatriation of a man to China, which is accused of hounding its opponents around the world. Michael McMahon, 57, a retired New York Police Department (NYPD) sergeant turned private detective, was convicted in federal court in June 2023 alongside two co-defendants. The three men were accused of working in a global operation dubbed "Fox Hunt," which US authorities said aimed to secretly fo ... read more

SINO DAILY
China to launch new crewed mission into space this week

Microbial profile mapped aboard China space station

China highlights major strides in moon research and exploration

Space station advances muscle and semiconductor science

SINO DAILY
China says no talks with US, despite Trump claim; China's top leaders pledge support

Trump seeks 'fair deal' with China but pathway unclear

Chinese business in Vietnam struggles with Trump tariffs uncertainty

TikTok videos exploit trade war to sell fake luxury goods

SINO DAILY
SINO DAILY
Chinese Catholics mourn Pope Francis, mull Church's future

China deploys army of fake NGOs at UN to intimidate critics: media probe

'The voice of god': Filipinos wrestle with death of Pope Francis

'Blood and kin': Mongolians reflect on Pope Francis's legacy

SINO DAILY
Top uranium producer Namibia to open talks on nuclear energy plant

Spain nuclear plants in 'safe' shutdown mode after blackout

Mizzou launches design phase for new nuclear research reactor

New reactor model unlocks deeper insights into molten salt reactor dynamics

SINO DAILY
Ambitious cross-continental initiative targets breakthroughs in AI space and cyber tech

Trump backs Hegseth as Pentagon chief denies he shared military info with wife

US defense chief shared sensitive information in second Signal chat: US media

Pentagon fires three alleged leakers, fourth official is reassigned

SINO DAILY
Top uranium producer Namibia to open talks on nuclear energy plant

Spain nuclear plants in 'safe' shutdown mode after blackout

Mizzou launches design phase for new nuclear research reactor

New reactor model unlocks deeper insights into molten salt reactor dynamics

SINO DAILY
US halts Equinor's huge New York offshore wind project

Chinese energy giant Goldwind posts annual growth as overseas drive deepens

Clean energy giant Goldwind leads China's global sector push

Engineers' new design of offshore energy system clears key hurdle

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.