Overview
- China's human spaceflight agency announced the three Shenzhou-20 astronauts will ride the Shenzhou-21 capsule back to Earth, with state TV later reporting a successful undocking from Tiangong.
- Inspectors found small cracks in Shenzhou-20's window glass that the agency says were very likely caused by an external debris impact, and the capsule will stay in orbit for further tests.
- The returning crew—Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie—are reported to be in good condition and are expected to land at the Dongfeng site in Inner Mongolia, with no landing time disclosed.
- With both crews aboard, Tiangong has been supporting six people; the Shenzhou-21 team currently has no return vehicle, and China plans a subsequent Shenzhou-22 mission at a later date.
- Authorities conducted safety assessments and landing rehearsals as limited technical details were released, highlighting persistent collision risks from hard-to-track orbital fragments.