On May 30, the Shenzhou XV and Shenzhou XVI crews pose in the Tianhe core module of the Tiangong space station, marking the start of the in-orbit crew handover, in this screen grab from the Beijing Aerospace Control Center. PHOTO XINHUA JIUQUAN China's Shenzhou-15 astronauts will return to Earth on June 4, after all their scheduled tasks have been completed, the China Manned Space Agency CMSA announced on Friday.
The three astronauts, Major General Fei Junlong, Major General Deng Qingming and Major General Zhang Lu, the mission commander, transferred control of the space station to the Shenzhou-16 crew on Friday, according to the CMSA.
They will touch down at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The landing site has completed the preparations for the return of the three astronauts, according to the CMSA.
The crew of the Shenzhou XV was tasked with six months in orbit to carry out various tasks, such as conducting spacewalks to mount equipment outside the station, installing and testing scientific cabinets, and conducting scientific experiments and technological demonstrations, mission officials have said.