Chinese astronauts return from space station after delay blamed on space debris damage

Three Chinese astronauts returned to Earth on Friday after their trip home from the Tiangong space station was delayed for more than a week due to damage found on the capsule originally meant to bring them back — damage likely caused by space debris.

The crew left their Shenzhou-20 spacecraft in orbit and instead returned aboard Shenzhou-21, which had recently transported their three-person replacement team, according to China’s Manned Space Agency.

Their initial return plan had to be abandoned after small cracks were discovered in one of the Shenzhou-20 windows, with officials saying the marks were probably the result of a collision with orbital debris.

The astronauts had completed a six-month mission and were scheduled to land on November 5, four days after the arrival of the next crew. The issue forced them to remain in space an additional nine days, extending their total mission duration to 204 days — the longest stay to date aboard China’s space station.

It remains unclear whether the unexpected spacecraft switch will affect future mission schedules. The space agency confirmed that Shenzhou-22 will be launched, but did not provide a timeline.