China has moved up the uncrewed Shenzhou-22 mission after damage was found on the docked Shenzhou-20 return capsule, state broadcaster CCTV said. The Shenzhou-22 flight will carry full supplies and launch roughly six months early to close a safety gap and allow the Shenzhou-21 crew to return around April 2026. Investigators suspect the crack in Shenzhou-20’s return-capsule window was caused by orbital debris; experts say the damaged vehicle could be detached and deorbited over the Pacific.
China Expedites Uncrewed Shenzhou-22 Launch After Damage to Docked Capsule
China has moved up the uncrewed Shenzhou-22 mission after damage was found on the docked Shenzhou-20 return capsule, state broadcaster CCTV said. The Shenzhou-22 flight will carry full supplies and launch roughly six months early to close a safety gap and allow the Shenzhou-21 crew to return around April 2026. Investigators suspect the crack in Shenzhou-20’s return-capsule window was caused by orbital debris; experts say the damaged vehicle could be detached and deorbited over the Pacific.
11:06 PM, 11/15/2025Science
China Moves Up Shenzhou-22 Mission to Close Safety Gap at Tiangong
BEIJING (Reuters) - China has accelerated preparations to launch an uncrewed Shenzhou spacecraft to its permanently crewed Tiangong space station after damage was discovered on a docked return capsule, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
Shenzhou-22 will fly about six months earlier than originally scheduled and will carry a full cargo load, including astronaut provisions and equipment for the station. Officials say the rapid launch is intended to restore the regular cadence of China’s crewed space programme and eliminate a potential safety risk for station occupants.
According to CCTV and Reuters reporting, the Shenzhou missions had proceeded routinely since 2021 until an incident around ten days ago, when the Shenzhou-20 vehicle was found damaged while still docked to Tiangong. That event forced the Shenzhou-20 crew to remain aboard an additional nine days, overlapping with another three-person crew already on the station.
On Friday the Shenzhou-20 astronauts boarded the Shenzhou-21 capsule and successfully returned to Earth, leaving the crew that arrived two weeks earlier without a fresh return vehicle available in case of an emergency. Sending Shenzhou-22 ahead of schedule is intended to close that gap and allow the Shenzhou-21 crew to return around April 2026 after completing their roughly six-month rotation.
Tiangong can temporarily host up to six people, but it is designed for a three-person crew for extended missions of about six months. China has not yet announced what will happen to the damaged Shenzhou-20 vehicle. Investigators suspect the craft may have been struck by orbital debris, which slightly cracked the return capsule’s window.
Possible outcome: Some experts have suggested the damaged vehicle could be undocked and deliberately deorbited to burn up over the Pacific.
Chinese authorities provided few technical details publicly. The accelerated launch underscores the operational importance of maintaining an available and safe return vehicle for every long-duration crew aboard Tiangong.
Reporting by Eduardo Baptista; Editing by Alexander Smith