Collision with space debris trapped 3 Chinese astronauts in orbit
Summary 204 In orbit on Friday, three Chinese astronauts returned to Earth aboard a Shenzhou spacecraft, leaving behind three crew members in a broken lifeboat at the Tiangong space station.
Commander Chen Dong, who completed his third spacewalk, and rookie crewmen Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie landed inside their spacecraft at the Dongfeng Landing Area at 1:29 a.m. ET (06:29 UTC) Friday. The parachute landing took place in mid-afternoon in the return zone, located in the remote Gobi Desert in northwestern China.
Chinese space authorities suspended operations at the country’s Tiangong Space Laboratory last week after astronauts damaged one of the two Shenzhou return capsules docked at the station. China’s manned space agency, which is run by the country’s military, announced changes to the space station’s flight schedule on Nov. 4, a day before the three crew members left for home.
Chen and his crew were preparing to board the Shenzhou 20 spacecraft to return to Earth a few days after three replacement crew members entered the newly launched Shenzhou 21 capsule. Shenzhou 20 is the same spacecraft that launched Chen’s crew in April.
But just over a week ago, Chinese officials said the Shenzhou 20 spacecraft was “suspected to have been hit by small space debris” and confirmed that the return trip would be delayed. Officials did not provide further details.
China’s human spaceflight agency released a cryptic statement earlier this week, saying preparations were underway to undock and land the crew, but conditions for the return were unclear until hours before the astronauts returned home. Officials finally confirmed the details of the return to Earth late Thursday.
China’s Manned Space Agency wrote on Weibo, China’s social media platform: “Based on preliminary photo analysis, design review, simulation analysis and wind tunnel tests, a comprehensive assessment determined that the window glass of the return capsule of the manned Shenzhou 20 spacecraft developed a small crack, which was most likely caused by an external impact of space debris. “It does not meet the conditions of freedom for safe manned return.”
Exchange of spacecraft in low earth orbit
With their original spacecraft deemed unsafe, Chen and his crew instead returned to Earth aboard the newer Shenzhou 21 spacecraft, which launched and arrived at Tiangong Station on October 31. Shenzhou 20 crafts are available to bring them home.
China’s line of Shenzhou spaceships not only provide transportation to and from low-Earth orbit, but also serve as lifeboats to evacuate astronauts from the Chinese space station in case of in-flight emergencies, such as major failures or medical crises. They play the same role as the Russian Soyuz and SpaceX Crew Dragon vehicles flying to the International Space Station.
China’s manned space agency said in a statement that Shenzhou’s other spacecraft, Shenzhou 22, “will be launched at a later date.” Shenzhou 20 will remain in orbit to “continue relevant tests”. Tiangong Laboratory is designed to support a crew of six only for short periods with longer stays of three astronauts.
