A few hours ago, the three Chinese taikonauts from the Shenzhou 20 mission returned to Earth after spending 204 days on the Tiangong space station, where they arrived on April 24, 2024. The three taikonauts—Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie—had left the station about 3.5 hours earlier to land at a site called Dongfeng in China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The three taikonauts returned aboard the Shenzhou 21 spacecraft because the Shenzhou 20 spacecraft suffered tiny fractures in a window following the impact of what was likely space debris and was deemed unsafe for human transportation.

The Shenzhou 20 mission’s taikonauts conducted numerous experiments on the Tiangong space station, and several samples were brought back to Earth. Four mice, which were brought to the Tiangong space station by the Shenzhou 21 mission crew, were also returned to Earth for in-depth examination.

The Shenzhou mission’s taikonauts were scheduled to return to Earth in early November, but their return was postponed following the discovery of a suspected impact from a tiny piece of space debris. At speeds of thousands of kilometers per hour, even a tiny object can cause significant damage, so tests were needed to assess the potential damage.

Meanwhile, the six taikonauts from the two missions aboard the Tiangong space station tested a new oven and enjoyed chicken wings. There’s an abundant amount of food, water, and oxygen on board to support an extended crew for many days, so the delay in completing the Shenzhou 20 mission created no problems in that regard.

The examination of the Shenzhou 20 spacecraft revealed fractures to a window that were tiny but sufficient to deem it unsafe for crew transport. For this reason, it was decided to leave it in orbit for experiments while awaiting its return without a crew. To return the Shenzhou 20 taikonauts, it was decided to use the Shenzhou 21 spacecraft.

With the Shenzhou 20 mission being completed, another spacecraft needs to be sent to the Tiangong space station to allow the Shenzhou 21 crew to return to Earth. The Chinese space agency maintains a rocket and spacecraft on standby for emergencies, so a launch can be set up quickly.