Chinese astronauts stranded in space to return after spacecraft malfunction delay

Chinese state media reported that the three astronauts were on a six-month rotation at the space station and were scheduled to return to Earth four days after the arrival of the new crew on November 1.

Post Published By: Sujata Biswal

Updated : 14 November 2025, 3:33 PM IST

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New Delhi: Three Chinese astronauts stranded in space will soon return to Earth. Their spacecraft collided with a piece of space debris during a space mission. A new crew is now being sent to space, and the astronauts will return to Earth in their spacecraft.

Astronauts Departed in April
Chinese state media reported that the three astronauts were on a six-month rotation at the space station and were scheduled to return to Earth four days after the arrival of the new crew on November 1.

However, their return was canceled after concerns arose that the astronauts' Shenzhou-20 spacecraft might have collided with a small piece of space debris.

According to state media, they are now returning on the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft. The three astronauts—Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie—departed to the Tiangong Space Station in April.

China is preparing to land humans on the Moon by 2030. China's Manned Space Engineering Office issued a statement saying, "They (the astronauts) are in good condition, working and living normally."

China launched its space program in 2003 and has made steady progress since then. China has built its own space station and aims to land humans on the Moon by 2030.

The latest mission, the Shenzhou-21 mission, carried mice into space for experiments, a first in China's space program.