China Delays Shenzhou-20 Return After Space Debris Damage, Astronauts Safely Return in Shenzhou-21

Space travel today is no longer a sci-fi concept—it’s a reality that global superpowers push forward every single day. But what happened to China’s Shenzhou-20 astronauts has once again revealed the risky side of space technology.

Three Chinese astronauts — Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie — who had completed their mission on the Tiangong Space Station, were scheduled to return to Earth on November 5. However, during a routine inspection of their spacecraft, experts discovered something that immediately triggered a red alert: tiny cracks on the capsule.

These cracks were not due to manufacturing faults — they were caused by space debris, tiny pieces of space junk that hit the spacecraft at extremely high speed. Even a 1 mm particle traveling in orbit can pierce metal. Because of this risk, China delayed the return mission, putting crew safety above everything else.

Space Debris Is No Joke

Right now, Earth’s orbit is filled with millions of small and large debris pieces — fragments of old rockets, broken satellites, nuts, bolts, and even paint flakes. All of these travel at high speed and can damage any spacecraft, increasing the risk of mission failure.

When engineers examined the Shenzhou-20 capsule, they warned that during re-entry, the heat and pressure become extremely high. Even a tiny crack could have turned into a deadly disaster. So China made a bold choice: not to send the astronauts back in the damaged capsule, but instead launch an entirely new spacecraft — Shenzhou-21 — to retrieve them.

This decision showed how serious, advanced, and efficiently managed China’s space program is.

Astronauts Land Safely — Mission Successful

After the delay, the three astronauts boarded the fresh capsule and safely landed in Dongfeng, Inner Mongolia. Scientists confirmed that the crew was in perfect health and handled the emergency situation calmly and professionally.

China later announced that the damaged Shenzhou-20 capsule will remain in orbit for future scientific experiments, which is a unique approach. China aims to extract maximum research value from every mission.

Impact on Future Space Missions

This incident highlights the growing challenge of space debris in the coming years. Space agencies around the world must now focus not only on new rockets and stations, but also on orbit-cleaning technologies.

If space junk is not controlled, it could become a serious threat to satellites and future space travel. China’s decision serves as a wake-up call for the entire world.

Final Thoughts

The delay in the astronauts’ return reminds us that space travel is exciting, but equally dangerous. What stood out the most was China’s quick decision-making and its priority for crew safety.

This news is not just a highlight of China’s space program — it’s a reminder to the whole world that the future of space is our shared responsibility.

If you want more fresh updates on space and technology, make sure to visit scnewz.com daily!

Read more news 

Page link 

https://www.scnewz.com/2025/11/chinas-newly-built-hongqi-bridge.html