China has postponed the Shenzhou-20 crew's return after the spacecraft was possibly struck by small pieces of orbital debris, the China Manned Space Agency said. An impact analysis and risk assessment are underway and no new landing date has been set. If Shenzhou-20 cannot be repaired aboard Tiangong, the docked Shenzhou-21 or a backup capsule from Jiuquan would bring the crew home. The incident highlights growing global concerns about space junk and calls for better international coordination.
China Postpones Shenzhou-20 Return After Suspected Space Debris Strike — Impact Assessment Underway
China has postponed the Shenzhou-20 crew's return after the spacecraft was possibly struck by small pieces of orbital debris, the China Manned Space Agency said. An impact analysis and risk assessment are underway and no new landing date has been set. If Shenzhou-20 cannot be repaired aboard Tiangong, the docked Shenzhou-21 or a backup capsule from Jiuquan would bring the crew home. The incident highlights growing global concerns about space junk and calls for better international coordination.
16:16, 05.11.2025Science
BEIJING — China has postponed the planned Earth return of its Shenzhou-20 crewed spacecraft after the capsule was possibly struck by small pieces of orbital debris, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said on Wednesday. An impact analysis and risk assessment are underway, and no new landing date has been announced; the mission had been scheduled to touch down in northern China on Wednesday.
The CMSA's brief statement did not say whether the suspected strike occurred while Shenzhou-20 was in free flight or while docked to the Tiangong space station. Shenzhou-21 is also docked to Tiangong following its arrival last week, and crews from the two spacecraft are currently in a scheduled handover period. The agency's statement made no direct mention of Tiangong or Shenzhou-21.
Under established contingency protocols, if damage to Shenzhou-20 cannot be repaired aboard Tiangong, the docked Shenzhou-21 would be used to return the earlier crew to Earth. If both docked vehicles were rendered unusable, a backup Shenzhou capsule would be launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China; a spare Long March-2F rocket and an extra Shenzhou are routinely kept on standby for such emergencies.
Operational and Safety Implications
The episode highlights the growing hazard posed by orbital debris — discarded rocket stages, fragments from satellites and other objects that orbit hundreds of miles above Earth. Even small particles can puncture shielding or damage critical systems, forcing crews to delay returns or conduct in-orbit repairs.
There are precedents for extended stays after technical problems: last year, two NASA astronauts who traveled to the International Space Station on Boeing's Starliner remained onboard for nine months while waiting for a safe return vehicle.
International Context
Calls for improved international cooperation on space traffic management are intensifying. At a forum last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged cooperation with Arab countries to build a 'space debris observation centre.' A United Nations panel has also recommended a shared orbital-object database and an international framework to track and manage debris.
China's permanent mission to the UN in 2022 said that 'a certain superpower,' referring to the United States, conducted early anti-satellite tests and has created more debris than any other country. The US has criticized China for its 2007 anti-satellite test, which generated a large debris field.
China is developing technologies intended to reduce collision risk and the longevity of defunct objects in orbit, including deployable deorbiting 'sails' that increase drag so a vehicle re-enters and burns up rather than creating long-lived fragments.
Note: An investigation by CMSA is ongoing. Reuters reporting credited: Eduardo Baptista; additional reporting by Liz Lee and Beijing newsroom; editing by Himani Sarkar and Christian Schmollinger.