China's first retrievable microgravity satellite SJ-10 back on Earth

The re-entry capsule of China’s first retrievable microgravity satellite SJ-10 has returned safely to Earth, marking a huge step forward in the Commmunist giant’s space science research. The recoverable capsule of the research probe, launched on April 6, touched down at around 4:30 pm (local time) at the planned landing area in Siziwang Banner in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, retrievers said.

The capsule was transferred to the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), which will hand over the equipment aboard the capsule to the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) for further analysis and assessment.

The re-entry capsule separated from the orbital module of the probe about 15 minutes before its landing. The latter will remain in orbit before burning away. It is the 24th retrievable satellite China has successfully recovered.The landing also marked the first time such a satellite was recovered in Siziwang Banner. During its 12-day journey in space, 19 experiments on microgravity and life sciences were carried out on board.

The experiments included one on the early developments of mouse embryos in microgravity to shed light on human reproduction in space, and another on space radiation’s effect on the genetic stability of fruit flies and rat cells.