"The Shenzhou-20 astronauts have returned to Earth on the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft after engineers deemed the Shenzhou-20 vehicle unsafe following a debris strike while it was docked to the Tiangong space station. The debris struck the viewport window of the Shenzhou-20 capsule, where tiny cracks were observed, according to the China Manned Spaceflight Agency (CMSA). It is unclear when the damage occurred, but it was sufficient for the CMSA to consider the spacecraft unsafe for astronauts."
"This leaves the Shenzhou-21 crew on the Tiangong station with the potentially unusable Shenzhou-20 capsule. It is therefore likely that the Shenzhou-22 spacecraft will be launched, uncrewed, as quickly as possible. In the meantime, the Shenzhou-20 will remain in orbit. The Shenzhou-21 capsule carrying Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Friday morning."
A debris strike cracked the viewport window of the Shenzhou-20 capsule while docked to the Tiangong space station, producing tiny cracks that led engineers to judge the vehicle unsafe for crewed return. The Shenzhou-21 crew returned to Earth aboard the Shenzhou-21 capsule, touching down at the Dongfeng landing site in Inner Mongolia. The Shenzhou-20 will remain in orbit. The planned November 5 handover was postponed after the suspected impact. Rapid launch of an uncrewed Shenzhou-22 is likely to replace the potentially unusable return vehicle. The incident highlights challenges around international cooperation, compatibility, and rescue options in spaceflight.
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