Chinese Astronauts Left Stranded Aboard Space Station.

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Three Chinese astronauts are stranded in space after their spacecraft was used to return another crew to Earth due to damage caused by suspected space debris.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The Shenzhou-21 crew currently aboard China’s Tiangong space station and the returning Shenzhou-20 crew.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The Shenzhou-20 crew landed on Friday in the Gobi Desert after a delay caused by spacecraft damage, leaving the Shenzhou-21 crew without an immediate return option.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The path of human space exploration is not smooth. It’s filled with difficulties and challenges. But that is exactly why we choose to walk this path.” – Chen Dong, Shenzhou-20 commander

🎯IMPACT: The incident highlights safety concerns regarding space debris and leaves the current crew on Tiangong without a return vehicle in case of emergency.

A space capsule damaged by space debris has left three Chinese astronauts stranded aboard the Tiangong space station. The astronauts, part of the Shenzhou-21 mission—which includes a six-month rotation aboard the Chinese space station—currently have no means of returning to Earth after the prior mission’s Shenzhou-20 capsule was damaged.

The Shenzhou-20 spacecraft was damaged by suspected space debris, delaying their return by over a week. Instead of using the damaged spacecraft, the Shenzhou-20 crew returned on the Shenzhou-21 capsule, which had just brought their replacements to the station. This decision left the new crew without a dedicated return vehicle.

China’s Manned Space Agency (CMSA) stated that the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft “does not meet the requirements for the astronauts’ safe return and will remain in orbit to continue relevant experiments.” A new Shenzhou-22 spacecraft is expected to be launched, but no specific date has been announced.