The Crew’s Return Spacecraft Was Struck by Debris Hours Before Their Departure

Three Chinese astronauts aboard the Tiangong space station watched as their Shenzhou-20 return capsule was struck by a piece of space debris, leaving them stranded mere hours before their scheduled trip home. The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said the end of the crew’s six-month mission has now been postponed indefinitely.

The three astronauts, Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie, launched to the Tiangong station on April 24 and were supposed to return shortly after a replacement crew’s arrival. However, according to CMSA, the spacecraft sustained what appears to be a minor impact from “tiny space debris.” Engineers are now conducting impact analysis and risk assessments to determine whether the capsule remains safe for re-entry.

“To ensure the health and safety of the astronauts and the successful completion of the mission, it has been decided that the originally planned return of Shenzhou-20 on November 5 will be postponed,” the agency said.

With no new timeline announced, online speculation has taken over… and much of it involves Elon Musk. Social media users have flooded the billionaire with pleas to send SpaceX to the rescue, echoing the high-profile return of NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore earlier this year. Musk has not yet acknowledged the pipe dream.

Chinese space officials have tried to calm the situation. Aerospace commentator and influencer Yu Jun claims that China already has a “plan B” in place, and that the Shenzhou-22 spacecraft and its Long March 2F rocket are on standby in case a backup mission becomes necessary.

The Tiangong station is China’s $100-billion answer to the International Space Station’s upcoming retirement. It has been permanently crewed since 2021, with teams rotating every six months. The so-called space debris is cause for concern as defunct satellites, rocket stages, and past collisions become hazards for spacecraft in low-Earth orbit.

FMI: www.cmse.gov.cn