The three astronauts (or rather taikonauts), stranded for about 10 days on the Chinese Space Station, returned to Earth with another spacecraft.
On the Chinese afternoon of November 14, 2025 (09:41 in Italy) the taikonauts brought on board the Tiangong Space Station with the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft (remained there for about six months) returned to Earth using the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft, not impacted by space debris, which recently brought a new crew into orbit.
Change of spacecraft. «The Shenzhou-20 spacecraft, in fact, did not have the requirements for a safe return to Earth. However, it will remain in orbit to continue the experiments in which it was engaged”, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced (according to CGTN).
According to the agency, small cracks were found in the observation window, most likely caused by an external impact with space debris and this does not make it safe for re-entry into the atmosphere. The Shenzhou-21 spacecraft lifted off from China’s Tiangong Space Station in the early hours of the day and returned safely to the Earth’s surface a few hours later in Dongfeng, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
The departure. The mission of the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft began on April 24, with Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie on board. The crew of Shenzhou-21 left on October 31, arriving in orbit in about 3.5 hours and docking with the station, setting a new speed record for China. The plan was for the Shenzhou-20, with its crew, to return to Earth on November 5, immediately after the rotation of the taikonauts.
The impact. However, during checks the presence of microcracks on the spacecraft hatch emerged – presumably caused by a small fragment of space debris – so the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) suspended the re-entry.
Controlled return. After a series of in-depth examinations and checks, it was decided to return the crew with Shenzhou-21, and let the damaged spacecraft remain in orbit for further experiments. Thus, on November 14 the maneuver started: the Shenzhou-21 detached from the station with the crew of the Shenzhou-20 on board and continued towards the landing zone at the Dongfeng site.
What happens now. With the return of the previous crew, the new one, composed of Zhang Lu (commander and pilot), Wu Fei (flight engineer) and Zhang Hongzhang (payload specialist), can officially begin its six-month mission – with the astronauts aware that prudence is always needed, even when everything seems under control. In the meantime, the Shenzhou-20 capsule remains in orbit, but it will be necessary to send a replacement spacecraft to bring the remaining crew back to earth.
Will it be Shenzhou-22? Although not specified in detail by space officials, the spacecraft will launch soon, almost certainly without astronauts, to ensure that the crew of Shenzhou-21 in orbit have a reliable spacecraft to return home. A situation, therefore, still in flux.
The Chinese space program put to the test. This episode might seem like a simple shift change between astronauts, but it’s not just that. First of all, it demonstrates the level of reliability of the Chinese space program: when faced with an unexpected failure they were able to react without panic, activating a plan “b” with extreme speed and precision.
Second, it highlights the growing problem of space debris: a tiny fragment can jeopardize a hundreds-of-million-dollar spacecraft and the lives of its occupants.
Finally, there is a strong emotional component: three men who lived for months a few hundred kilometers from Earth, who were preparing to return, had to postpone their return. Not an easy decision to bear after months of living in a cramped space station.
