China's Space Agency Responds to Astronaut Crisis with Replacement Mission

The return capsule of the Shenzhou 21 spacecraft, carrying the Shenzhou 20 astronauts Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie, touched down at the Dongfeng landing site on November 14, 2025, in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China.

China's Manned Spaceflight Agency, or CMSA, has announced plans to return a damaged spacecraft that is currently docked at the Tiangong space station to Earth. This decision follows a suspected debris strike that left the craft unfit for crewed missions.

On November 5, the three astronauts were set to depart the Tiangong space station when CMSA issued a surprise statement that they would remain aboard. The Shenzhou 20 spacecraft sustained damage from a piece of debris less than a millimeter in size, which struck it at extremely high speed, causing penetrating cracks in the spacecraft's viewport.

Due to safety concerns, including the risk of structural failure during reentry, CMSA decided to bring the damaged Shenzhou 20 craft back to Earth without a crew. The astronauts returned to Earth aboard the relief crew's spacecraft on November 14.

This incident left the three-person relief crew of the Shenzhou 21 mission temporarily without a lifeboat for emergencies. In response, China launched a new spacecraft on November 22, 2025, to ensure their safety.

The CMSA announced on December 1, 2025, that the damaged Shenzhou 20 would be brought home for inspection to generate meaningful experimental data for future missions. The return date has not yet been specified.

The officials cautioned that the cracks could worsen due to the pressures of reentry, which could lead to a complete failure of the spacecraft. The Shenzhou 21 crew will continue their six-month mission aboard Tiangong, conducting scientific experiments and outreach, with the Shenzhou 23 crew expected to launch in April 2026.

This incident has drawn parallels to the Boeing Starliner’s first crewed test flight, where astronauts were also left aboard the ISS without a dedicated ride home, highlighting the need for dedicated space rescue services and international cooperation in such emergencies.

According to experts, these incidents serve as a wake-up call for improving safety protocols in crewed space missions.