The astronauts of Shenzhou-18 spent more than 190 days in space and completed many arduous tasks. After a successful handover with Shenzhou-19, they embarked on their journey home. The return was expected to land at the Dongfeng Landing Site at around 1 a.m. on November 4th. This is not only a test of China's space hardware capabilities, but also a major challenge to the search and rescue team's abilities under nighttime low-temperature conditions. In this return mission, the Dongfeng Landing Site faced many difficulties brought about by the dark night and low temperatures. The darkness made visual search almost impossible. The search and rescue team could not directly observe the process of the return capsule deploying its parachute as they could during the day, and could only rely on special optical equipment such as infrared devices. Moreover, the uneven terrain of the Gobi Desert greatly increased the difficulty of ground vehicle search and movement at night. In addition, the low-temperature environment posed a huge challenge to maintaining the condition of equipment. For example, the performance of some equipment batteries might decrease, which could affect the normal operation of search and rescue equipment. 01. Efficient, Safe and Scientific Search and Rescue Operations and Model Optimization (1) Efficient Connection of "Capsule Landing, Helicopter Arrival, and Astronaut Recovery" The Shenzhou-18 spacecraft adopted a 5-orbit rapid return plan. After flying alone for about 7.5 hours, it entered the return procedure and successfully landed after four stages: braking and deorbiting, free flight, re-entry into the atmosphere, and parachute deployment. From the moment the return capsule touched down to the rapid arrival of the search and rescue helicopters at the scene, and then to the safe egress of the astronauts, the entire process was closely connected, taking about 50 minutes in total, achieving the efficient process of "capsule landing, helicopter arrival, and astronaut recovery". (2) Search and Rescue Model for Coping with Challenges Facing the dual challenges of darkness and low temperatures, this mission adopted a search and rescue model of "air rescue of astronauts and ground disposal of the return capsule". The search and rescue team made many efforts to optimize this model. For example, to address the problem of difficulty in finding the location of helicopters after they landed at night, lighting indicators were set up. Using the data from the precise mapping of the entire landing site by drones in the early stage and the new situation system, the ability of the search and rescue team to quickly reach the predicted landing point under abnormal conditions was improved. And nighttime special training was arranged, combined with air-ground coordinated comprehensive drills, to ensure that the search and rescue mission could be successfully completed under nighttime low-temperature conditions. 02. Comprehensive Preparation and Improvement of Support Capabilities in Complex Environments (1) All-Terrain Operation Ability Training The search and rescue team needs to make preparations based on the most complex and difficult situations. They have carried out various trainings, including desert driving training and water training (such as diving, kayaking, etc.), and have the ability to operate in all terrains, at all times, and in all weathers. This ability allows them to respond quickly in different environments and ensure the safe return of the astronauts. (2) Improvement of Service and Support Level In this return mission, the service and support level was further improved. Cold-proof supplies such as sleeping bags and blankets were prepared for the astronauts. At the same time, the medical supervision and medical insurance vehicles were maintained to ensure that a suitable temperature environment could be provided for the astronauts under low-temperature conditions, so that the astronauts could have a comfortable environment after their return. 03. Laying the Foundation for the Return of Manned Lunar Exploration (1) Experience Accumulation and Ability Development Through the practice of many search and rescue missions in recent years, China's search and rescue team has developed into a professional force and accumulated rich experience in astronaut search and rescue. This experience is not only reflected in the current Shenzhou series return missions, but also lays a solid foundation for the future implementation of manned lunar exploration returns. China's astronaut search and rescue system has formed a complete set of equipment support capabilities in terms of command, communication, search, medical supervision and medical rescue, disposal and recovery. (2) The Starting Point of a New Journey Every space return is a new starting point. The successful return of Shenzhou-18 marks the continuous progress of China's space industry in the search and rescue link. This series of achievements will promote China's space industry towards more ambitious goals, especially providing strong support for follow-up tasks such as the return of manned lunar exploration. At present, the three astronauts have safely arrived in Beijing, entered the isolation and recovery period, received comprehensive medical examinations and health assessments, and arranged for recuperation, and will meet with the news media later. 04. Smart Landing Site: Innovation and Development of Space Search and Rescue With the rapid development of the space industry, space search and rescue is undergoing a transformation towards unmanned and digital intelligence. The previous search and rescue models and equipment capabilities are no longer able to meet the growing task requirements. Therefore, the construction of a smart landing site has become the key to improving the quality and efficiency of space search and rescue tasks. The space search and rescue team of the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center has established several innovative R & D teams according to the task characteristics and changes. In 2019, the Joint Laboratory for UAV Application Technology in Space Search and Rescue was established. Although it faced problems such as a shortage of professional talents, technical accumulation, equipment and materials, and training grounds in the early stage, under the efforts of professional personnel such as Li Daquan, the laboratory has been building a scientific research system for space search and rescue equipment while researching new models of intelligent space search and rescue, and promoting the demonstration of UAV training centers and training assessment projects. For example, in response to the problems of complex terrain in the Dongfeng Landing Site, difficult vehicle passage, limited helicopter landing conditions, and difficult handling of disposal equipment, Li Daquan developed an unmanned transportation support system, which was successfully applied in the search and rescue mission of Shenzhou-14's return, improving the support efficiency. I. Application and Practice of Unmanned Intelligent Technology in Space Search and Rescue (1) Taking the Shape of a Smart Landing Site The maturity of unmanned intelligent technology in various fields has brought new opportunities for space search and rescue. The space search and rescue team of the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center aims to build a first-class national space search and rescue team. By researching self-organizing communication technology, target recognition technology, and adaptive landing point prediction technology for the landing site, and taking unmanned intelligent equipment as the key platform, it has gradually taken the shape of a smart landing site. They hope to create a landing site with convenient command, continuous image and voice, accurate landing point prediction, timely search upon capsule landing, safe and reliable disposal, and perfect effect presentation, to improve the efficiency of space search and rescue. (2) Application of Various Unmanned Intelligent Equipment Combined with the actual situation of the mission, the unit has continuously optimized the search mission process and force deployment for the normal return of the return capsule, improving the search and rescue efficiency. At the same time, focusing on the changing requirements of the Shenzhou spacecraft's return mission during the operation of the space station, it explores the application of unmanned intelligent equipment to improve the emergency return search and rescue capabilities of astronauts. Using the characteristics of UAVs such as strong mobility, high flexibility, and wide monitoring range, they are equipped with high-definition cameras and thermal imaging equipment to make up for the blind spots in the dynamic situation control of the landing site and meet the needs of different search and rescue tasks. For example, in the recovery mission of Shijian-19 satellite on October 11, 2024, UAVs, as a long-term backup search and rescue force, made a wonderful appearance, quickly capturing the target and providing a reliable basis for the on-site disposal command and decision-making of the recovery capsule search and recovery. II. New Model of Talent Training助力航天搜救发展 (1) Promoting Training through Competitions and Talent Growth In terms of space search and rescue talent training, the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center has formed a unique model. Six personnel, including Lv Tianhang and Yu Jian, represented the center to participate in the UAV Assembly, Adjustment and Maintenance Major of the National Industry Vocational Skills Competition and achieved excellent results. They realized their own deficiencies and broadened their horizons in the competition, and will continue to deepen theoretical learning and improve their precise control ability in the future. (2) Joint Training Model and Talent Team Building Talent is the primary driving force for development. The space search and rescue team has refined the talent development plan and personal development roadmap according to the construction objectives of the smart landing site. Taking project topics such as unmanned vehicles, unmanned submersibles, and UAVs as the driving force, it trains scientific research backbones in professional directions such as unmanned intelligent control and target recognition. Through various ways such as college training, exchange and improvement, project topic driving, and participating in competitions, it expands the training channels and establishes an effective talent incentive mechanism, forming a high-quality command and management talent team, a high-level scientific and technological innovation talent team, and a high-skill operation talent team, providing strong talent support for the continuous development of space search and rescue. In the journey of the new era, the space search and rescue team of the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center will continue to give play to the advantages of unmanned autonomous intelligent technology, improve the search and rescue efficiency, and escort the space industry.