Overview
- Shenzhou-22 lifted off at 12:11 Beijing time on November 25 and docked with the Tianhe core module about three and a half hours later, according to state media.
- The spacecraft flew without a crew and delivered food, medicines, fresh produce, spare parts, and a dedicated kit to assess and mitigate the Shenzhou-20 window crack.
- Microscopic inspections and wind‑tunnel ablation tests confirmed the outer thermal pane damage could worsen under reentry heating, so Shenzhou-20 was ruled out for crew return.
- Program leaders chose a preplanned 16‑day emergency option, executing the response in 20 days from anomaly discovery and designating Shenzhou-22 as the station crew’s return vehicle.
- Officials also adjusted 2026 plans, outlining four missions including Tianzhou-10, Shenzhou-23 with a stay of over one year, Shenzhou-24, and the uncrewed Dream Chariot test on a CZ-10A rocket.