Shenzhou-20 space mission astronauts Chen Zhongrui (C), Chen Dong (R) and Wang Jie pictured during their April 2025 send-off ceremony at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center near Jiuquan, China. On Friday, the crew returned to Earth after their spacecraft suffered hits by suspected debris floating in space. File Photo By Andres Martinez-Casares/EPA
The stranded Chinese astronauts returned safely to Earth following a drift of space debris which left their return craft damaged.
The three returned home in the early Friday morning hours when the recently-launched Shenzhou-21 module touched down around 3:40 a.m. local time near its launch pad at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.
Shenzhou-21 undocked at 10:14 p.m. from Tiangong in orbit.
China’s three astronauts returned on same spacecraft that launched their replacement Shenzhou-21 mission crew at the very end of October, and were extracted by recovery crew roughly 30 minutes later.
China’s Manned Spaceflight Agency said on Nov. 5 that Shenzhou-20 mission Commander Chen Dong and astronauts Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie would remain on China’s Tiangong space station a bit longer after their return craft was hit by suspected debris.
“The path of humanity’s exploration of space is not smooth,” the commander told CNN and awaiting media. “It is full of difficulties and challenges, and that is also why we choose to walk this path.”
In April, the Shenzhou 20 trio launched via Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert for a six-month rotation on Tiangong and arrived on board after a six-hour journey.
The mission crew was slated to return Nov. 5 but hit by flying space debris, which ultimately forced Chinese space officials to pause Shenzhou-20’s trip home.
On Friday, China’s space agency issued an update on the return crew’s damaged spaceship, saying it was a “life first, safety first” decision.
“Based on preliminary analysis of photographs, design review, simulation analysis, and wind tunnel testing, a comprehensive assessment determined that the Shenzhou-20 manned spacecraft’s return capsule window glass had developed a minor crack, most likely caused by an external impact from space debris, thus failing to meet the requirements for a safe crewed return,” according to CMSEO officials.
The damaged Shenzhou-20 manned spacecraft, CMSEO added in a statement, will “remain in orbit to conduct relevant experiments.”
