China’s Shenzhou-20 crewed spacecraft has delayed its planned return to Earth after the vessel was possibly struck by tiny fragments of space debris, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said on Wednesday.
The agency said impact analysis and risk assessments were underway, but did not provide a new timeline for the spacecraft’s return, which had been scheduled to land in northern China on Wednesday. The incident underscores the increasing threat that space debris poses to crewed missions and orbital assets worldwide.
The Shenzhou programme ferries astronauts to and from China’s Tiangong space station, where they typically spend six months conducting scientific experiments and maintenance, including repairs from previous debris impacts. While weather once caused a one-day delay for the Shenzhou-19 mission in April, this marks the first time a return mission has been postponed due to possible debris damage.
The growing density of space junk — consisting of defunct satellites, rocket remnants and collision fragments — has become a mounting global concern. A United Nations panel on space traffic management last year urged the creation of a shared orbital database and an international framework to coordinate debris mitigation.
At a 2023 forum, President Xi Jinping called for closer cooperation between China and Arab nations to establish a “space debris observation centre.” Beijing has also invested in laser monitoring systems and “deorbiting sails,” designed to accelerate a spacecraft’s re-entry and allow it to safely burn up in the atmosphere.
Tensions between spacefaring nations over debris responsibility have persisted. China previously complained to the UN in 2021 that its Tiangong station had to perform two avoidance manoeuvres to steer clear of fragments from SpaceX’s Starlink satellites. The U.S., in turn, has criticised China’s 2007 anti-satellite missile test as “irresponsible” for generating a large debris field.
As orbital congestion worsens, analysts warn that even minor debris fragments — often smaller than a centimetre — can cause significant damage when travelling at speeds of over 25,000 km/h, making international coordination on space safety increasingly urgent.
