Posted: Mon, Oct 17, 2005, 7:59 AM ET (1159 GMT)
China's Shenzhou 6 spacecraft, that nation's second manned mission, came to a successful end early Monday with a landing in Inner Mongolia. The spacecraft's reentry capsule landed in the designated recovery area in Inner Mongolia at 4:33 pm EDT Sunday (2033 GMT Sunday, 4:33 am Monday Beijing time). The capsule's two occupants, Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng. emerged from the spacecraft shortly after landing in good health. The two astronauts spent nearly five days in orbit, performing a series of experiments and testing the Shenzhou spacecraft. Chinese officials hailed the mission as a complete success. China is planning another manned mission in 2007; this will reportedly feature the first Chinese spacewalk.

Related Links:

•  Xinhua article
•  AP article
•  Reuters article
•  SPACE.com article
•  Spaceflight Now article