Three Chinese taikonauts onboard the Shenzhou-7 craft who have just concluded their first spacewalk attempt will return to earth at around 5:40 PM on Sunday, an official with China's space program said on Saturday.

Deng Yibing, chief engineer of the astronaut training center, told a press conference Saturday afternoon that the capsule carrying the taikonauts will land on earth about 5:40 PM on Sunday, "if everything goes smooth according to preset schedules."

Deng confirmed the spacewalk performed by taikonaut Zhai Zhigang was conducted "right on time according to preset schedule," and that experts are "very satisfied with the spacewalk despite Zhai's seemingly stumbling movement during the spacewalk."

He said the taikonauts should be safe during the capsule's Sunday journey back home thanks to their trainings, but said it is still possible for the trio to be hurt during the process should there be "an abnormality," he said.

The taikonauts will have to rest in the capsule for a while after it reach the earth to adapt to the ground environment, according to Deng, while "doctors will enter the capsule to provide necessary treatment."

The trio will be aided with some medication during their return and landing, and will have to watch their body stance to better protect themselves, he said.

"According to the schedule, the spacecraft will reach the earth shortly before it grows dark, making the search and rescue mission more difficult than previous missions," Deng said.

"The ground search and rescue and the medical personnel will use helicopters to find and transfer the trio taikonauts as soon as possible," he said.

The Shenzhou-7 spacecraft was launched at 9:10 PM on Thursday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China carrying three taikonauts Zhai Zhigang, Liu Boming, and Jing Haipeng.

On Saturday afternoon, Zhai, assisted by Liu in the orbit module, made China the third country in the world to successfully stage a spacewalk after the former Soviet Union and the United States.

(Xinhua News Agency September 27, 2008)