China's Shenzhou-15 crew members on board the country's orbiting space station will return to Earth on Sunday after a six-month stay at China's space station, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

A seasoned spacecraft reentry monitoring team stationed in northwestern China is making thorough preparations to ensure that the Shenzhou-15 stays within its tracking during the reentry communication blackout and makes a safe journey home. 

The monitoring and control unit under Xi'an Satellite Control Center, code named "Huanghe (Yellow River)," plays a crucial role in monitoring and remote-controlling the spaceship's return by giving directions and commands. 

"Our equipment is mainly responsible for the last part of the tracking and control mission before the manned spacecraft enters reentry blackout. After entering the blackout, the ground will lose signal of the return capsule. This is where we need to take measures to quickly establish a two-way audio channel between the spacecraft and the ground to ensure a safe landing. We've trained on this over and over to achieve a faster, more accurate and more stable execution," said Qi Jinshi, a monitoring technician of the squad. 

The squad had served in the first Shenzhou spacecraft's return mission back in 1999, and has since become an indispensable force of Shenzhou missions.