A "space 3D printer" developed independently by China and two samples it printed in orbit successfully returned to Earth Friday, according to the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST).

They came back in the return capsule of China's new-generation manned spaceship for testing, which was launched from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in southern China's island province of Hainan on Tuesday and touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in northern China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Friday.

It is China's first in-orbit 3D printing test, which has realized space 3D printing of continuous carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites for the first time in the world.

Developed by a research institute of the CAST, the 3D printing system completed the scheduled tasks in orbit at 1:58 a.m. on Thursday. The images transmitted by the experimental spaceship showed that the two samples were printed successfully and could be distinguished clearly.

Researchers will further check the performance of the returned printer and printed samples and give a comprehensive evaluation.