Shenzhou 9 spacecraft has been successfully separated from Tiangong 1 lab module by manual operation Thursday morning, making preparation for the return of the manned spacecraft on Friday.

Shenzhou 9 spaceraft will return to the Earth around 10 a.m. Friday, a spokesperson of China's manned space program announced Thursday.

This screen shot taken on June 26, 2012 shows the Chinese astronauts who are conducting scientific tests in Tiangong 1 space lab module waving hands. Chinese President Hu Jintao came to the Beijing Aerospace Control Center on Tuesday and talked with the astronauts. [Xinhua]

The separation was the first time for China's spacecraft and target module to be disjoined by manual operation.

The three Chinese astronauts returned to Shenzhou 9 spacecraft from Tiangong 1 lab module at 6 a.m. Thursday, to prepare for the manual separation attempt.

Liu Wang conducted the manual operation to separate Shenzhou 9 spacecraft and the orbiting Tiangong 1. He will continue manual operation and steer the spacecraft to a safety distance.

During their stay in the Tiangong 1, all experiments and tests were finished as scheduled and produced valuable data, said Chen Shanguang, chief commander of the mission's astronaut system.

"These data will help us improve technologies for astronauts' future, long-term stays in a space station," he said.

All data and samples have been moved to the return capsule of the spacecraft, and the lab module has been restored to its pre-docking status, said the control center.

The Tiangong-1 will return to its previous orbit and wait for another spacecraft.

The lab module is designed to operate for two years and host six docking procedures. It has been operating for 272 days and undergone four docking procedures with Shenzhou-8 and Shenzhou-9 spaceships, to date.

"Based on current conditions, the service of the Tiangong-1 can be extended," said He Yu, chief commander of the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft. "It has consumed less than one-fourth of its fuel and no back-up systems have been used."

If the systems were improved and its operation was under careful monitoring and control, the service could be much longer, he said.

"If Tiangong-1 was in perfect shape, it could work side by side with the Tiangong-2, which will be launched in the future," he said.

Xinhua contributed to this story.

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