The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) has reported a delay in the return of the three-member crew of the Shenzhou-20 mission from the Tiangong space station. The postponement is attributed to potential damage to the return capsule, suspected to have been inflicted by small space debris fragments.
The Shenzhou-20 team, comprising mission commander Chen Dong, fighter pilot Chen Zhongrui, and engineer Wang Jie, was initially slated to return to Earth on the same day. However, the mission has been temporarily suspended as engineers conduct an impact analysis and risk assessments on the possibly damaged spacecraft.
China’s state broadcaster, CCTV, has confirmed the indefinite delay of the return date but has not provided additional details. The return capsule is believed to have been struck by small pieces of space junk, an escalating issue in low Earth orbit. The CMSA has not yet disclosed specific details regarding the extent of the damage or the required repairs.
In the event that the spacecraft cannot be repaired, the Shenzhou-20 crew will resort to using the return capsule of the Shenzhou-21 team, as per established protocol. The Shenzhou program routinely dispatches groups of three Chinese astronauts to the Tiangong space station for six-month missions, where they carry out scientific experiments and repair any damage caused by debris.
The Shenzhou-20 astronauts arrived at the Tiangong space station in April for a six-month rotation. They were nearing the end of their mission when the incident occurred. Their replacements, the Shenzhou-21 team, successfully docked with the station on Saturday. This crew includes astronauts Zhang Hongzhang, Wu Fei, and Zhang Lu.
Since the launch of its crewed spaceflight program in 2003, China has been progressively improving its capabilities. The country has built its own space station and has set a goal to land astronauts on the moon by 2030.