The Shenzhou 12 craft with Taikonauts Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo undocked from the Chinese Space Station (CSS) – also known as Tiangong – on 16 September at 0056 GMT, according to the China Manned Space Engineering Office. The space station had been their home for the last 90 days, setting a record for Taikonauts in-orbit for a single mission.
After separation the crew carried out orbiting and radial rendezvous testing. The radial rendezvous technology will be used by future manned missions when docking with the space station. The Descent Module began the return mission once testing was complete.
Taikonauts return. Courtesy: CGTN
Shenzhou 12 was scheduled to re-enter and land near Dongfeng, Northeast of the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre, in the Gobi Desert around 0530 GMT on Friday, 17 September.
Shenzhou 13 and its crew are expected to launch and dock with the Chinese Space Station in early October.
Update by Derek Goddard on 17 September 2021: The Shenzhou 12 Descent Module successfully undocked from the Orbital Module at 0043 GMT on 17 September, the undocking was followed by a de-orbit burn at 0048 GMT. The Descent Module touched down safely at the Dongfeng landing site at 0534 GMT as planned.
Update by David Todd on 30 September 2021: Subsequent moves on the Chinese space station included:
The Tianzhou 2 cargo ship undocked from the aft port of the Tianhe module sy 0225 GMT on 18 September 2021. It redocked at the forward port of the Tianhe
module at circa 0625 GMT on 18 September 2021. This was to make way for the Tianzhou 3 re-supply vessel which docked with the aft port of the Tianhe module of the Chinese Space Station at 1408 GMT on 20 September 2021.
