A trio of Chinese astronauts, who were unexpectedly stranded at the Tiangong space station following a suspected collision with space debris, are set to return to Earth on Friday using the spacecraft that transported their replacement crew, according to state media reports. The astronauts—Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie—had been stationed at the space station since April as part of a six-month mission. Their scheduled return was abruptly halted when their Shenzhou-20 spacecraft was believed to have been struck by a fragment of space debris. Instead, they will now utilize the Shenzhou-21 craft, which arrived at the station on November 1 with a new crew. The China Manned Space Engineering Office confirmed on Tuesday that the astronauts remain in good health and are continuing their work and daily routines without disruption. This incident underscores the challenges posed by space debris, even as China advances its ambitious space program. Since its first manned mission in 2003, China has made significant strides, including the construction of its own space station and plans to land a human on the moon by 2030. Notably, the Shenzhou-21 mission also carried mice for scientific experiments, marking a first for China’s space exploration efforts.
China’s stranded astronauts to return from space station on spacecraft that brought new crew
