The China Manned Space Agency postponed the Shenzhou-20 crew’s return, citing a suspected impact from tiny space debris and prioritising astronaut safety.
The Shenzhou-20 crew was originally scheduled to land at the Dongfeng site in Inner Mongolia on Wednesday before the delay was announced.
China Delays Return of Space Station Crew After Suspected Space Debris Impact
The three astronauts—Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie—had completed their mission and handed over duties to the incoming Shenzhou-21 team.
Summary
The scheduled return of the crew operating China’s space station on Wednesday has been postponed due to a suspected impact from tiny space debris, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced.
The agency stated that the decision to delay the return was made “to ensure the astronauts’ safety and mission success.”
China rotates the crew of its space station every six months.
On Saturday, the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft, carrying the outgoing crew, completed its in-orbit handover with the newly arrived Shenzhou-21 team and had been slated to return to Earth on Wednesday.
The three-member Shenzhou-20 crew—Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie—held a handover ceremony on Tuesday, formally transferring the keys to the space station.
According to official media reports, the Shenzhou-20 trio had completed all their scheduled tasks and were set to land at the Dongfeng site in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region before the delay was announced.
China launched the Shenzhou-21 crewed spacecraft last Friday, sending three astronauts on a six-month mission to its orbiting space station.
(with PTI inputs)
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