According to China’s state broadcaster, the Chinese astronauts returned to Earth on Friday afternoon after their journey back was delayed due to a collision between their spacecraft and space debris last week.
A report published in Dawn, citing the British news agency, states that the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) disclosed details of the damage for the first time on Friday. The agency confirmed that small cracks were discovered in the tiny window of the return capsule of the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft.
In its official statement, the agency said that the return capsule no longer met the safety standards required for a secure landing of the crew. Therefore, Shenzhou-20 will remain in orbit and continue conducting its designated experiments.
The astronauts were originally scheduled to return nine days earlier after completing their six-month mission aboard the permanently inhabited Tiangong Space Station. Their spacecraft, known as Shenzhou or “the divine vessel,” had its return postponed when the cracks were detected.
According to CMSA, the crew departed the Tiangong station using another spacecraft, Shenzhou-21, and safely landed at the Dongfeng landing site located in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region of northern China.
The agency stated that the mission began in April and had proceeded smoothly until the debris incident occurred, forcing a delay in the planned return of Shenzhou-20, which was initially scheduled for November 5.
Although the nine-day delay may appear minor, it is highly unusual for a space program known for its precision and consistency, especially one that achieved several major milestones over the past year.
China’s space program has recently completed multiple landmark achievements, including sending astronauts born in the 1990s on missions, conducting a world-record spacewalk, and preparing to send the first foreign astronaut (from Pakistan) to the Tiangong Space Station next year.
