After completing their six-month mission on China’s Tiangong Space Station, the three crew members finally returned safely to Earth after surviving an unexpected danger. Their return journey was delayed by nine full days due to a malfunction caused by space debris, which created a crack on a critical window of their capsule.
The astronauts Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie who were on duty at Tiangong, were expected to return four days after the scheduled date, immediately following the arrival of the new crew at the station. However, damage to the Shenzhou-20 return capsule disrupted these plans. The crack on a small window of the capsule, caused by collision with space debris, jeopardized crew safety.
The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) issued an official statement following the incident for the first time. The agency reported that due to this “small crack” on the window of the return capsule, the vehicle did not meet the safety requirements necessary for crewed return. As a result, the Shenzhou-20 capsule was kept in orbit for further experiments, and the astronauts’ return was postponed.
Safe landing with a new capsule
After their period of entrapment, the three astronauts returned to Earth aboard the backup crewed spacecraft Shenzhou-21. The capsule made a successful landing in Inner Mongolia, in northwestern China.
Immediately after landing, medical teams greeted the astronauts. The initial examination of the capsule and health checks of the crew were completed, and it was announced that the astronauts were in good health. Returning home safely after this dangerous wait was a significant relief for China’s space program.
The Tiangong Space Station, which operates alongside China’s International Space Station (ISS) and was completed in 2022, continues its missions without pause. Among the crew recently arriving at the station aboard Shenzhou-21 is China’s youngest astronaut, 32-year-old Wu Fei.
Next year, during the Shenzhou-22 mission scheduled for launch, China will undertake a long-duration space experiment. The astronaut involved in this mission is planned to stay aboard the space station for over a year to conduct a significant experiment. This demonstrates China’s determination to pursue long-term human space missions.
