BEIJING (AFP) ― Three Chinese astronauts returned to Earth on Friday after achieving China’s first manual docking in orbit, a milestone in the country’s effort to build a space station by the end of the decade.

The return of the trio, including the country’s first female astronaut, to a landing zone in a remote and sandy area of northern China was broadcast to a national audience on state television.

The return capsule of the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft, which lifted off on June 16, hit the ground about 10:00 a.m., after an approach slowed by a large parachute.