Overview
- CMSA says emergency response procedures, simulation analyses, and risk assessments are underway, and no new landing date has been set.
- Astronauts Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie remain healthy on Tiangong during the handover period with the newly arrived Shenzhou-21 crew.
- Contingency options include using the docked Shenzhou-21 for the trip home or launching a standby Shenzhou from Jiuquan if required.
- Online calls for a SpaceX Crew Dragon rescue are reported, but technical incompatibilities, scheduling limits, and political barriers make such a mission unlikely.
- The delay underscores growing orbital debris hazards, with Reuters noting this is the first Shenzhou return postponed for debris-related concerns.