Overview
- China’s human spaceflight agency said the Shenzhou-20 return spacecraft is suspected to have been hit by small orbital debris, prompting a safety-driven postponement.
- Astronauts Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie remain on Tiangong after a formal handover to the newly arrived Shenzhou-21 team left two Shenzhou vehicles docked at the station.
- Officials have released no details on the timing, location or extent of any damage, and no new landing date has been announced.
- Contingency options reported include returning the outgoing crew aboard Shenzhou-21 or readying a standby Shenzhou with a Long March-2F for a rapid rescue launch.
- SpaceNews reports this is the first Chinese crew-return delay linked to a suspected debris impact, highlighting the growing risk posed by untrackable fragments in low Earth orbit.