Astronaut sets record for time in space

Senior Colonel Tang Hongbo ended his 216th day in orbit on Tuesday, extending his lead as the Chinese astronaut to have spent the longest time in space.

The 48-year-old from Hunan province is a member of China's second generation of astronauts and mission commander of the ongoing Shenzhou XVII mission. He is also the first person to have returned to China's Tiangong space station.

Tang made his first journey into space in June 2021, on the three-month Shenzhou XII mission, becoming one of the space station's first inhabitants.