Chinese astronauts returned to Earth after 210 days in orbit. The mission was originally scheduled to last the standard six months, but damage to the capsule caused by space debris forced a change of plans. The crew spent an extra month in space and returned in a different spacecraft.
A crack in the window
The Shenzhou-21 crew—comprising Zhang Lu, Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang—departed for the Tiangong space station on October 31 of last year. They were scheduled to replace the previous Shenzhou-20 crew, which was set to return on November 5.
A crack was discovered in the window of the Shenzhou-20 capsule during pre-landing inspections. It was most likely caused by a piece of space debris. Chinese officials decided that landing in the damaged spacecraft was too risky, so on November 14, the Shenzhou-20 crew returned to Earth in the Shenzhou-21 capsule, leaving the newly arrived astronauts without their own spacecraft for the return trip.
Emergency rescue mission
To avoid keeping the crew away for too long, China expedited preparations for the Shenzhou-22 and launched the spacecraft to Tiangong on November 24 without a crew on board. It was on this spacecraft that Zhang Lu, Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang returned home.
The Shenzhou-22 capsule, carrying the Shenzhou-21 mission crew, landed at the Dongfeng landing site in Inner Mongolia on May 29, 2026, concluding a 210-day mission. Credit: CNSA/CCTV. Source: SciNews
The landing took place on May 29 at the Dongfeng site in Inner Mongolia at 8:11 a.m. EDT (1211 GMT; 8:11 p.m. China Standard Time). The damaged Shenzhou-20 spacecraft had landed intact without a crew on January 21.
Records and achievements
For 32-year-old Wu Fei, this was his first spaceflight. He became the youngest Chinese astronaut ever to go into orbit. After landing, Wu Fei said that the mission had taught him to answer his country’s call, because he sees this as the best expression of youth.
During the extended mission, the crew conducted three spacewalks and carried out numerous scientific experiments in the fields of microgravity physics, materials science, space biology, and aerospace medicine. Standard missions to Tiangong last about six months.
Who’s at the station right now?
The Shenzhou-23 crew, which arrived on May 24, is currently aboard the Tiangong space station. The crew consists of Zhu Yangzhu, Zhang Zhiyuan and Lai Ka-ying—the first astronaut from Hong Kong.
One of the three will spend a full year at the station, setting yet another record for the Chinese space program. Chinese officials have not yet revealed who that person will be.
According to space.com
