The crew of three Chinese taikonauts was scheduled to return to Earth on Wednesday after a six-month mission at the Tiangong space station, but received orders to postpone the flight while the China Manned Space Administration (CMSA) assesses the risks associated with possible damage to the spacecraft from space debris, reports Ars Technica.
The change in the flight schedule was announced by the space agency on Tuesday evening in a brief message on the Chinese social network Weibo.
"It is presumed that the crewed spacecraft 'Shenzhou-20' was exposed to small space debris," the statement said. "An analysis of the nature of the collision and risk assessment is currently underway. To ensure the safety and health of the taikonauts, as well as the complete success of the mission, a decision has been made to postpone the 'Shenzhou-20' mission, originally scheduled for November 5."
The CMSA statement did not specify which part of the 'Shenzhou-20' spacecraft may have been damaged, or on what basis engineers assumed that space debris was the cause. It is also unclear how long the flight of 'Shenzhou-20' may be delayed.
Earlier reports indicated that the taikonauts of 'Shenzhou-20' had conducted four spacewalks outside the Tiangong station during their mission. According to official CMSA reports, all these spacewalks were aimed at enhancing the external protection of the station against collisions with space debris.
The station partially lost power after one of its solar panels was damaged by a piece of space debris in 2023. As a result, the taikonauts carried out repairs during several spacewalks last year.
So far, the agency has not provided information indicating that specialists deemed the 'Shenzhou-20' spacecraft unsafe for the return and landing of the crew. In any case, the CMSA has a backup 'Shenzhou' spacecraft and rocket that can be launched for a rescue mission from the Jiuquan launch site on the edge of the Badain Jaran Desert in northwestern China.
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