UPDATE
Nov 14, 2025 10:11 AM CST
Three Chinese astronauts returned from their nation's space station Friday after more than a week's delay because a window in the return capsule they had planned to use was damaged, likely from being hit by space debris. The team left their Shenzhou-20 spacecraft in orbit and came back using the recently arrived Shenzhou-21, which had ferried a three-person replacement crew, China's Manned Space Agency said. They had been on a six-month rotation and were originally scheduled to return Nov. 5, four days after the new crew arrived. Their return was delayed for nine days, and their 204-day stay in space was the longest for any astronaut at China's Tiangong space station, the AP reports.
- Chen Dong, the mission commander, said he felt at ease after their return, calling his latest space voyage both a training opportunity and a real test. "The path of human space exploration is not smooth," he said after emerging from the capsule in a remote part of the Gobi Desert. "It's filled with difficulties and challenges. But that is exactly why we choose to walk this path."
Nov 5, 2025 11:30 AM CST
A group of Chinese astronauts face a delayed return to Earth after their spacecraft was believed to have been struck by a small piece of debris. Their return, originally scheduled for Wednesday, will be pushed back to an unspecified date, according to state broadcaster CCTV, which offered no further details, per the AP. The three astronauts from the Shenzhou-20 mission flew to the Tiangong space station in April and were finishing their six-month rotation. The group consists of team leader Chen Dong, fighter pilot Chen Zhongrui, and engineer Wang Jie. Their replacements on the Shenzhou-21 mission had successfully docked onto the space station on Saturday.
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