China's Shenzhou-20 Crew Lands Safely Using Replacement Capsule After Debris Damage

Overview

• The three astronauts — Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie — landed at the Dongfeng site in Inner Mongolia on Nov. 14 and were reported in good health.
• Pre-return checks found small cracks in a window of the Shenzhou-20 return capsule, which CMSA attributed to suspected micro-debris and deemed unsafe for crewed reentry.
• The crew departed Tiangong in the docked Shenzhou-21 spacecraft left by their successors during the handover, using built-in overlap for contingency.
• The mission logged 204 days in orbit, a Chinese crew-duration record, and raised commander Chen Dong’s career total above 400 days.
• CMSA said the Shenzhou-20 return capsule will remain in orbit for related experiments and that Shenzhou-22 will launch at the appropriate time as emergency-return planning is reassessed.