On November 14, 2025, the news broke that three Chinese astronauts who had been stranded in space due to a suspected collision with space junk were safely back on Earth. The China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSE) announced their return and revealed that the astronauts had to come back on the Shenzhou 21 spacecraft instead of the damaged Shenzhou 20 spacecraft.
The Shenzhou 20 spacecraft sustained too much damage to bring the crew back home from China’s Tiangong space station. The astronauts had no choice but to return on the Shenzhou 21 spacecraft, leaving the replacement crew without a means of returning until a new spacecraft is sent to the station.
“I’m very glad that they got home, but it is a bit disconcerting that the replacement crew apparently does not have a vehicle to come back to Earth,” said Victoria Samson, chief director of space security and stability at the Secure World Foundation in Colorado.
According to reports from CMSE to the Chinese news agency Xinhua, a new spacecraft, Shenzhou 22, will be launched in the future. This means that the remaining crew at the Tiangong space station has no way of returning to Earth in case of an emergency.
It remains unclear what kind of debris struck the Shenzhou 20 spacecraft. Victoria Samson speculated that the debris was likely tiny, between one and 10 centimeters in diameter, making it too small for astronomers to track. This incident highlights the importance of not creating debris deliberately in orbit.
The astronauts’ safe return underscores the risks and challenges of space travel, especially in the presence of space debris. It is crucial for space agencies to prioritize the safety of astronauts and spacecraft to prevent such incidents in the future.
As the world continues to explore space and push the boundaries of human exploration, ensuring the safety and security of astronauts and spacecraft remains a top priority. The incident with the Chinese astronauts serves as a reminder of the risks involved in space travel and the importance of mitigating those risks for future missions.
