Hong Kong
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Three Chinese astronauts have been forced to extend their stay in space by six months due to concerns that their return craft may have been hit by debris, China’s space agency said.
Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie were scheduled to return to Earth on Wednesday – they were also handing over the keys to the China Space Station to a new crew – but their return was postponed due to suspected impacts on the Shenzhou 20 spacecraft, the China National Space Administration announced on Wednesday.
The space agency said “impact analysis and risk assessment are underway” but did not provide details of the damage or how long it would take to inspect the ship.
No alternative date has been given for the return of the trio of Chinese astronauts who took off from Inner Mongolia in April.
The news comes days after China, which has rapidly stepped up its space ambitions in recent years, celebrated the successful launch of Shenzhou 21.
The new spacecraft successfully carried the next generation of astronauts to China’s space station Tiangong (Tiangong in Chinese). Among the new recruits was Wu Fei, 32, who was enthusiastically touted in local media as the youngest astronaut in Chinese history to reach space.
Upon arrival, state CCTV showed a handover ceremony in which the crews of both ships gathered in a small area and signed documents on floating boards.
“We will soon return to Earth, and now I will hand you the hatch key, which symbolizes the right to maintain operations on this Chinese space station,” Chen Dong said. But now he and his teammates are stuck in space while their ship is evaluated.
The Chinese Space Agency said the postponement was to ensure the safety and health of astronauts.
The semi-annual launches of China’s Shenzhou program are a source of pride as the country’s space program makes significant progress. Recent advances have seen China break the record for the longest spacewalk held by the United States with a nine-hour feat, and are on the verge of opening the space station’s doors to foreigners for the first time, with plans to welcome astronauts from Pakistan to Tiangong next year.
The development is a wake-up call for Washington, which is desperate to land astronauts on the moon again, as the Trump administration has barred Chinese nationals with U.S. visas from participating in NASA programs.
Over the past year, the U.S. space agency has learned all too well the challenges of rescuing stranded astronauts.
What was supposed to be a brief stay in space for U.S. astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore was extended to more than nine months after the Boeing Starliner spacecraft that was supposed to take them home broke down.
The pair departed from Earth in June of last year and ultimately returned home in a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule in March.
