Overview
- The China Manned Space Agency postponed the planned Nov. 5 landing in the Gobi Desert until further notice.
- A suspected collision with orbital debris involved the mission’s reentry capsule, and authorities have not released details of any damage.
- Astronauts Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie have spent roughly six months on Tiangong conducting experiments and reinforcing debris protections.
- The newly arrived Shenzhou 21 crew—Zhang Lu, Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang—has taken over station operations during the delay.
- The episode highlights persistent low-Earth-orbit debris risks, with the European Space Agency estimating more than one million objects larger than one centimeter in orbit.