The "Shenzhou-22" spacecraft was sent to the "Tiangong" orbital station without a crew so that three astronauts could return to Earth in case of an unforeseen situation, writes Focus.
The Chinese spacecraft "Shenzhou-22" was launched into space by the "Changzheng-2F" rocket on Monday, November 24. This rescue mission is intended so that three Chinese astronauts on the "Tiangong" station can return home in case of danger. Their spacecraft left for Earth 11 days ago, and during this time the astronauts were considered stranded in space due to the inability to return from orbit, writes Space.
For several years, "Shenzhou" spacecraft have been delivering three astronauts to the "Tiangong" space station, where they stay for six months. However, the "Shenzhou-22" spacecraft was sent into space without a crew, as it is needed to bring home the astronauts of the "Shenzhou-21" mission.
As previously reported by Focus, these astronauts arrived at the "Tiangong" station on October 31. However, the astronauts of the "Shenzhou-20" mission returned home on November 14, as previously noted by Focus.
The fact is that the astronauts of the "Shenzhou-20" mission were supposed to leave the "Tiangong" station on November 5, but space debris damaged their spacecraft, as previously reported by Focus. Therefore, Chinese space officials decided that the three astronauts would return home on the "Shenzhou-21" spacecraft.
As a result, for 10 days, the astronauts of the "Shenzhou-21" mission were in a dangerous position. If any unforeseen situation had arisen on the "Tiangong" station, the station crew would have had no way to evacuate safely.
But now the astronauts have the "Shenzhou-22" spacecraft and can remain in space for another six months. In April 2026, this crew on the "Tiangong" station will be replaced by three astronauts from the "Shenzhou-23" mission.
Before the "Shenzhou-23" spacecraft arrives in orbit, the damaged "Shenzhou-20" spacecraft without a crew must leave the "Tiangong" station to free up the docking port. It is currently unknown when this will happen.
