Overview
- The Shenzhou-21 return module touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in Inner Mongolia at 4:40 p.m. Beijing time on Nov. 14, with recovery teams extracting the crew shortly after.
- China’s human spaceflight office said photos, design reviews, simulations and wind‑tunnel tests showed a minor crack in Shenzhou‑20’s return‑capsule window most likely caused by orbital debris.
- Shenzhou‑20 was declared unfit for a crewed reentry and will remain in orbit for experiments, leaving the current Tiangong crew temporarily without a dedicated lifeboat as CMSA plans a Shenzhou‑22 launch at an appropriate time.
- Crew members Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie returned in good condition after 204 days in orbit, the longest single mission yet for Chinese astronauts, according to state media.
- Shenzhou‑21 undocked from Tiangong at 03:14 UTC before reentry, with officials stressing a “life first, safety first” approach and noting China keeps a standby Long March 2F/Shenzhou that can be readied in roughly a week in best cases.