Chinese astronauts return after 90-day mission

In a small return capsule, the three men - Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo - landed safely in the autonomous region of Inner Mongolia in the north of China at 1:34 p.m. (0534 GMT), state media reported.

"It feels really good to be back," Tang said, before thanking his parents.

Shenzhou-12 was the first of four crewed missions planned for 2021-2022 as China assembles its first permanent space station. The process requires a total of 11 missions, including the launches of the station's three modules.

The second crewed mission, Shenzhou-13, is planned for October, with the next batch of astronauts expected to stay at the station for six months.