Chinese Astronauts Stranded in Orbit Following Suspected Debris Impact

It’s the first time that a return mission has been delayed by space debris, which poses increasing danger to spacecraft.

A Long March-2F carrier rocket, carrying the Shenzhou 20 spacecraft and a crew of three astronauts, lifts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi desert on April 24, 2025. Pedro Prdoa/AFP via Getty Images

China has delayed the planned return of Shenzhou 20’s crew after the spacecraft was possibly hit by debris, the regime’s spaceflight agency said on Wednesday.

The three-person crew was originally set to return to the Dongfeng Landing Site in Inner Mongolia on Wednesday, after their six-month rotation at the Tiangong space station.