Three Chinese astronauts will return to Earth on Friday using a different spacecraft after space debris struck their return vessel last week, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said.
The crew, part of the Shenzhou-20 mission that began in April, had been scheduled to return on Nov. 5 before what CMSA described as a “suspected impact from tiny space debris” forced a delay. The setback is unusual for China’s crewed spaceflight programme, which in recent years has operated on a tightly controlled schedule while achieving milestones such as deploying its first astronauts born in the 1990s and conducting a world-record spacewalk.
China has sent crews of three astronauts to its Tiangong space station for six-month rotations since 2021 under its Shenzhou, or “Divine Vessel,” missions. Each mission typically includes a handover period in which the departing crew and the newly arrived team overlap on the station, with two Shenzhou spacecraft docked simultaneously.
CMSA said the Shenzhou-20 astronauts will now return aboard the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft, which arrived two weeks ago to begin its own six-month stay. The change of vehicles indicates the Shenzhou-20 craft sustained damage significant enough for mission controllers to deem it unsuitable for the journey home.
The switch creates new logistical challenges for China’s space programme. With Shenzhou-21 set to return to Earth far earlier than planned, the crew it delivered will remain on the station without a spacecraft for emergency evacuation until another vehicle arrives.
CMSA said the Shenzhou-22 spacecraft will be launched “at an appropriate time in the future.”
