Beijing (AFP)
Three Chinese astronauts completed a record three-month space mission on Thursday at the Chinese space station construction site, the New China Agency said.
The three men had left Earth in June aboard the Shenzhou-12 spacecraft.
Their 90-day mission is the longest ever carried out in space by Chinese astronauts, the official news agency said, without specifying when their return to Earth is expected.
According to New China, the vessel separated from the Tiangong station to which it had been docked for three months at 8:56 a.m. Beijing time (0:56 GMT).
In a context of tension with the West, the success of the mission is a matter of prestige for Beijing, which on July 1 celebrated the centenary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
The Chinese space station, when completed, will be similar in size to the former Soviet Mir station (1986-2001).
Its lifespan will be at least ten years.
China resolved to build its own space station after the United States refused to let it participate in the ISS, the international space station.
The latter - which brings together the United States, Russia, Canada, Europe and Japan - is due to retire in 2024, even if NASA has mentioned a possible extension beyond 2028.
© 2021 AFP