Chinese astronauts return to Earth after 90-day space mission

It's mission accomplished for three Chinese astronauts who've just returned to Earth after a 90-day stay aboard their nation's first space station.

Astronauts Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo landed in the Shenzhou-12 spacecraft on Friday, a day after they undocked from the space station.

While few details have been made public by China's military about the space program, astronaut trios are expected to be brought on 90-day missions to the station over the next two years to make it fully functional.
China's space station will be the sole alternative to the 20-year-old ISS, which may be retired in 2024.