Three crew members aboard China's Tiangong station are temporarily stranded after their only return spacecraft was damaged by a small piece of orbital debris that cracked its viewing port. CMSA says a replacement vehicle is being prepared and reports indicate a launch on November 25. The incident highlights growing concerns about orbital debris and the robustness of crew return systems.
Three Chinese Astronauts Temporarily Stranded on Tiangong After Debris Damages Return Vehicle
Three crew members aboard China's Tiangong station are temporarily stranded after their only return spacecraft was damaged by a small piece of orbital debris that cracked its viewing port. CMSA says a replacement vehicle is being prepared and reports indicate a launch on November 25. The incident highlights growing concerns about orbital debris and the robustness of crew return systems.
02:02 PM, 11/20/2025Science
Three Chinese astronauts are temporarily stranded aboard the Tiangong space station after their only available return vehicle was struck by a piece of orbital debris in early November, cracking the craft's viewing port.
The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said the impact was caused by a "tiny piece of space debris" and has released few technical details about the extent of the damage. Aviation-tracking reports indicate that a replacement spacecraft is being prepared and a launch is scheduled for November 25 to deliver a safe return vehicle, though CMSA has not officially confirmed a firm return date.
Until the replacement arrives, the Shenzhou 21 crew — Zhang Lu, Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang — will remain aboard Tiangong. CMSA has suggested that limited supplies after the previous crew's delayed departure were a factor in mission planning, which helps explain why not all six astronauts stayed on station until a spare vehicle could be sent up.
This incident follows another high-profile in-orbit stranding in the last two years, when NASA astronauts faced an extended stay after their return craft developed technical issues. Experts say these episodes underscore rising risks for crewed missions as low Earth orbit becomes more congested.
Jan Osburg, a senior engineer in RAND Corporation's engineering and applied sciences department, called the events "a massive wake-up call." "It certainly is a bad situation," she said, adding that she hopes the crew will be brought home safely.
Collisions with orbital debris are an escalating concern. In 2021, debris struck the International Space Station and damaged part of its robotic arm, and the station has performed several avoidance maneuvers in recent years to dodge fragments. The full extent of the damage to the Chinese return craft remains unclear, and officials are monitoring the situation closely as the world waits for the replacement launch and the astronauts' safe return.