Shenzhou-19 Crew Celebrates Successful Mission at Beijing Press Event

The crew of the Shenzhou-19 manned spaceflight held a press conference on July 9, 2025, at the Astronaut Center of China in Beijing, marking their first public appearance following a successful six-month journey aboard the Tiangong Space Station. After returning to Earth, the astronauts, who spent 183 days in orbit, expressed their commitment to advancing space exploration through a series of innovative experiments and technical achievements.

Mission commander Cai Xuzhe, who previously commanded the Shenzhou-14 mission, highlighted that each space mission involves building on prior experiences rather than simply repeating them. The crew conducted a diverse range of 88 experiments in various scientific domains, including space life sciences and aerospace medicine, and prepared over 100 experimental samples, showcasing the complexity and importance of their work.

During the mission, the Shenzhou-19 team also tackled several technical tasks, such as testing a pipeline inspection robot and evaluating emotional response capabilities. Cai Xuzhe set impressive new records by completing multiple spacewalks, including a single spacewalk that lasted nine hours, thereby establishing a new world record. He credited the crew's collective effort and effective communication with ground support for their successful extravehicular activities.

Taikonauts were faced with unexpected challenges during their spacewalks, including a jamming issue with a payload adapter. Despite these difficulties, the team managed to resolve the problem with direction from ground control, culminating in a moment of pride and camaraderie when they received applause over their earpieces.

Song Lingdong, notable as China’s first taikonaut born in the 1990s to conduct a spacewalk, described his experience as a dream realized. He also spearheaded an experiment growing sweet potatoes in space, contributing valuable data on the potential use of these plants for future long-duration missions.

Wang Haoze, the country's first female flight engineer in the space station, added her unique perspective to the crew dynamic, emphasizing the importance of her contributions to scientific research and the representation of women in aerospace. The Shenzhou-19 crew has since completed their recovery period, undergoing medical evaluations that showed them to be in excellent health and ready to return to their training regimen as they prepare for future missions.