Three astronauts from China’s Shenzhou-20 mission — Wang Jie, Chen Zhongrui and Chen Dong — returned safely aboard the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft after their original return capsule was suspected to have been struck by orbital debris. CMSA found tiny cracks in a small window of the Shenzhou-20 return module and declared it unsafe for crewed reentry; the capsule will remain in orbit for experiments. The rescued crew landed at the Dongfeng site in Inner Mongolia, and a Shenzhou-22 vehicle is being prepared for future operations. The incident highlights the increasing dangers posed by space junk to crewed missions.
Stranded Shenzhou-20 Crew Return Safely Aboard Replacement Capsule After Suspected Debris Strike
Three astronauts from China’s Shenzhou-20 mission — Wang Jie, Chen Zhongrui and Chen Dong — returned safely aboard the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft after their original return capsule was suspected to have been struck by orbital debris. CMSA found tiny cracks in a small window of the Shenzhou-20 return module and declared it unsafe for crewed reentry; the capsule will remain in orbit for experiments. The rescued crew landed at the Dongfeng site in Inner Mongolia, and a Shenzhou-22 vehicle is being prepared for future operations. The incident highlights the increasing dangers posed by space junk to crewed missions.
01:48 PM, 11/14/2025Science
Three Shenzhou-20 astronauts return to Earth aboard Shenzhou-21
China's three Shenzhou-20 astronauts — Wang Jie, Chen Zhongrui and Chen Dong — landed safely on Friday at the Dongfeng Landing Site in Inner Mongolia aboard the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said.
Their planned return on 5 November was postponed after inspections found that the Shenzhou-20 return capsule had apparently been struck by a small piece of orbital debris. CMSA reported that inspection revealed "tiny cracks" in a small window of the return module and concluded the capsule did not meet safety requirements for a crewed descent.
CMSA: "The capsule does not meet the safety requirements for a crewed return; Shenzhou-20 will remain in orbit and conduct relevant experiments."
Following established emergency procedures, the replacement crew launched as Shenzhou-21 had already arrived at the Tiangong space station on 1 November, and the newer Shenzhou-21 vehicle was used to return the stranded Shenzhou-20 crew to Earth. The Shenzhou-20 mission originally launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China in April.
CMSA also said a Shenzhou-22 spacecraft is being prepared at Jiuquan for a future mission and will be launched at an appropriate time. The astronauts who arrived on Shenzhou-21 are expected to return next year in their own vehicle.
The episode underscores the growing hazard posed by orbital debris to crewed missions. Last year, fragments from a broken Russian satellite forced International Space Station crew to shelter for nearly an hour; initial estimates indicated that event generated more than 100 trackable pieces. Scientists estimate there may be over 200,000 objects between 1 and 10 centimetres and tens of thousands larger than 10 cm in the crowded low-Earth orbit used by many satellites.
CMSA said assessments of the impact and associated risks are ongoing. The Shenzhou-20 capsule will remain in orbit to support further experiments and to inform risk analyses and mitigation measures for future crewed returns.