Shenzhou-14 astronauts meet press after quarantine, initial recovery

Chinese astronauts Chen Dong (2nd R), Liu Yang (1st R) and Cai Xuzhe (3rd R), the three Shenzhou-14 crew members, salute during a press conference in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 17, 2023. The three astronauts of China's Shenzhou-14 crewed mission met with press on Friday, in their first such appearance since returning to Earth in December. (Xinhua/Guo Zhongzheng)

BEIJING, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- The three astronauts of China's Shenzhou-14 crewed mission met with press on Friday, in their first such appearance since returning to Earth in December.

The astronauts have completed their quarantine and recuperation stages, and have now moved to the observation stage, according to the press conference held at the Astronaut Center of China in Beijing.

At present, the crew are in good physical and mental condition. Their weights are at the same levels as they were prior to their missions, and they have restored their muscle strength, endurance and cardio functions further.

They will resume their regular training after completing health assessments.

Launched on June 5, 2022, the Shenzhou-14 spaceship sent Chen Dong, Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe to China's space station core module Tianhe.

They completed multiple tasks during their six-month mission, including performing three extravehicular activities, giving a live online science lecture, and cooperating with ground control to complete the assembly and construction of the space station's T-shape structure.

Chen Dong, the mission commander, became the first Chinese astronaut to live in orbit for over 200 days. He said that timely and effective ground support was a strong backing for the team to complete the mission successfully.

Liu Yang is China's first female astronaut. She said she was very excited to witness the enormous progress of China's aerospace science and technology sector compared with 10 years ago, when she first traveled into space. She also said she was honored to witness the formation of the space station's basic configuration.

Reflecting on her 183 days in space, she said that she could never forget the beauty of the universe, meeting with the Shenzhou-15 crew aboard the space station, or the cards her husband wrote her and the songs her children sang for her when she celebrated her birthday.

"I am proud of my country," said Cai Xuzhe, whose dream of traveling into space became a reality after 12 years of training and waiting. "All I need to do now is summarize the experience obtained from this mission and enter follow-up training in my best condition. I am looking forward to returning to space."