A group of Chinese astronauts will have to wait a little longer for their return home from space.

The mission to bring Chen Dong , Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie back to Earth from China's Tiangong space station has been delayed indefinitely due to suspected damage on their Shenzhou-20 spaceship caused by debris, according to CNN .

The country's National Space Administration shared in a Nov. 5 statement that "impact analysis and risk assessment are under way," per the outlet.

The three astronauts initially departed from China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in April for a six-month post in space. Their replacements docked at Tiangong on Oct. 31, with a handover ceremony televised on state-owned CCTV.

“We are about to return to Earth," Chen Dong said at the time, per CNN, "and

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