Yesterday, on Nov. 14th, 2025, the crew of Shenzhou-20 has returned to Earth from China’s Tiangong house station after per week’s delay. The delay was imposed by injury inflicted on their spacecraft, allegedly brought on by an impression with house particles. This impression cracked the window aboard the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft, forcing the crew to depart the station utilizing the newly arrived Shenzhou-21 spacecraft. The three-person crew, consisting of Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie, was initially scheduled to return to Earth on Nov. fifth.
The suspected impression postponed this whereas the six taikonauts aboard the station inspected the spacecraft, with help from mission controllers on the China Manned House Company (CMSA). In line with an announcement issued on Nov. eleventh by the China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO), the evaluation and backup return plans had been continuing accordingly. The crew then departed the station aboard the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft at 10:14 p.m. EST (7:14 p.m. PST) on November thirteenth, indicating that the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft was deemed unsafe.
The crew landed in Internal Mongolia at 11:14 a.m. Beijing Time on November 14, 2025 (9:14 p.m. EST; 6:14 p.m. PST, November 15, 2025). The crew was examined by medical groups who decided that they had been all in good well being, in response to the state-owned media firm Xinhua. “House exploration has by no means been simple for humankind. This mission was a real check, and we’re proud to have accomplished it efficiently,” stated Chen Dong to reporters. “China’s house program has withstood the check, with all groups delivering excellent performances… This expertise has left us a profound impression that astronauts’ security is actually prioritized.
*Crew members of Shenzhou-20 and Shenzhou-21 signing paperwork for work handover on board the Tiangong house station on November 4, 2025. Credit score: CCTV*
The CMSEO issued its findings that very same day in an official assertion, saying:
Primarily based on preliminary evaluation of images, design assessment, simulation evaluation, and wind tunnel testing, a complete evaluation decided that the Shenzhou-20 [crewed] spacecraft’s return capsule window glass had developed a minor crack, most certainly brought on by an exterior impression from house particles, thus failing to fulfill the necessities for a protected crewed return. The Shenzhou-20 manned spacecraft will stay in orbit to conduct related experiments.
The Shenzhou-21 spacecraft launched from the Jiuquan Satellite tv for pc Launch Heart on Oct. 31st, 2025, delivering the alternative crew that’s now working on the house station – consisting of Zhang Lu, Wu Fei, and Zhang Hongzhang. The departure of the earlier crew aboard their spacecraft leaves the Shenzhou-21 crew and not using a departure plan. Nonetheless, that is more likely to be remedied with the launch of the Shenzhou-22 spacecraft, which is not going to carry a crew.
The Shenzhou-20 crew achieved a number of firsts with this mission. Commander Chen Dong accomplished six extravehicular duties, making him the taikonaut with probably the most extravehicular duties to this point. The delay additionally made them the primary taikonauts to spend greater than 200 consecutive days in house. The astronauts, together with the Shenzhou-21 crew, had been additionally the primary astronauts to get pleasure from a barbecued meal in house, which was timed to welcome the brand new crew to the house station.
This incident can be a major developmental milestone for China’s house program, demonstrating that the company is ready for contingency conditions that inevitably come up in house. Their backup plans additionally imply that operations aboard the house station will proceed uninterrupted. Because the Worldwide House Station (ISS) approaches retirement, China hopes that Tiangong and different successor stations will proceed humanity’s exploration and scientific operations in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
Additional Studying: SpaceNews
