Chinese Astronauts’ Return Delayed by Space Debris

Three Chinese astronauts, whose planned return to Earth was postponed after space debris struck their spacecraft last week, are now set to board a different spacecraft, with a landing in China planned for Friday, as announced by the China Manned Space Administration (CMSA).

The CMSA also revealed for the first time that a “small crack” had been identified in a window of the Shenzhou 20 spacecraft’s return capsule due to the impact.

“The capsule fails to meet safety standards for a manned return. Thus, Shenzhou 20 will remain in orbit to conduct further experiments,” the agency stated.

Initially scheduled to return nine days earlier after a six-month mission aboard China’s ongoing space station, Shenzhou—nicknamed the Vessel of the Gods—the crew now plans to leave Tiangong and embark on their return journey aboard Shenzhou 21. They are expected back at the Dongfeng landing site in northern China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region on Friday afternoon.

The mission, which started in April, had proceeded without a hitch until the return runway, initially set for November 5, had to be pushed back due to concerns about “suspected impacts from small space debris,” according to the CMSA.

This nine-day setback is quite unusual for a program that has been operating efficiently and achieving remarkable milestones over the past year—the inclusion of an astronaut born in the 1990s, a world record for spacewalking, and plans to invite the first foreign astronaut from Pakistan to Tiangong next year.

Typically, each Shenzhou mission concludes with a handover, where the outgoing crew welcomes the incoming crew, facilitating a transition of space station operations.

During the multi-day handover, two Shenzhou spacecraft will be docked at the station.

China’s manned space program is now facing an additional logistical challenge: how to effectively evacuate crew members who’ve just arrived at the station in the event of an emergency.

CMSA has indicated that Shenzhou 22 will be launched “at an appropriate time in the future.”

Concerns Over Space Debris

The damage to the Chinese spacecraft sheds light on the hurdles posed by increasing amounts of “space junk” in orbit.

Igor Malinin, affiliated with the Russian Academy of Cosmonauts in Moscow, stated, “The rapid rise in orbital debris significantly amplifies the risks of damage to spacecraft and space stations from various nations.”

While this is the first occasion that a Shenzhou mission has been disrupted by debris, previous missions to the International Space Station (ISS) have also encountered similar situations.

The SpaceX capsule utilized by NASA for transporting astronauts to the ISS has had to navigate around debris that was likely space junk during its journey, and the ISS itself has performed several maneuvers to avoid various pieces of debris.

Incidents such as the destruction of outdated satellites, accidents involving active satellites, and tests of anti-satellite weaponry contribute to the creation of substantial amounts of space debris that linger in orbit for extended periods of time.

For instance, last year, an aging Russian satellite broke apart unexpectedly, generating at least 180 pieces of traceable debris and prompting ISS astronauts to be on alert for evacuation. Additionally, a spent Chinese rocket stage may have impacted debris, resulting in a proliferation of nearly 1,000 pieces of junk.

This increasing threat has spurred discussions among rival space powers, like the United States and China, regarding collaboration on space debris management and regulations for satellite traffic. However, U.S. law mostly restricts NASA from partnering with China’s space initiatives.

Despite this, cooperation has been noted between the United States and China on space security topics in recent years, often on an informal basis. Reports indicate that alerts for Chinese spacecraft maneuvers for U.S. operators were intensified last year for both the Pentagon and NASA.

In 2022, NASA had to deal with a separate issue when two astronauts were stranded at the ISS for nine months because of a malfunction in the Boeing Starliner spacecraft’s propulsion system.