Intensive preparations are underway at Inner Mongolia's Dongfeng landing site as China readies for the highly anticipated return of the Shenzhou-20 crew from their six-month mission aboard the Tiangong space station. State media reports confirm completion of multi-departmental drills simulating emergency scenarios, ensuring seamless coordination between air search teams, ground response units, and medical personnel.
Over 200 personnel participated in the November 2 exercises, testing critical systems including real-time communication networks and specialized recovery equipment. 'Every second counts during spacecraft retrieval,' explained a mission controller familiar with the operations. 'These drills verify our capacity to locate the capsule within the golden 30-minute window and provide immediate medical support.'
The three-astronaut team – Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie – has conducted groundbreaking research since their April launch, including China's longest-duration extravehicular activities to date. Their mission marks another milestone in Beijing's ambitious space program, which has seen continuous crewed presence in orbit since 2021.
With all systems declared operational, recovery teams now maintain 24/7 readiness as Earth-based scientists prepare to analyze biological samples and experimental data from over 100 space science projects conducted aboard the station.
