Chinese astronauts return from space station after delay blamed on space debris damage

Chinese astronauts return from space station after delay blamed on space debris damage Science Nov 14, 2025 1:15 PM EST

BEIJING (AP) — Three Chinese astronauts returned from their nation’s space station Friday after more than a week’s delay because the return capsule they had planned to use was damaged, likely from being hit by space debris.

The team left their Shenzhou-20 spacecraft in orbit and came back using the recently arrived Shenzhou-21, which had ferried a three-person replacement crew to the station, China’s Manned Space Agency said.

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The original return plan was scrapped because a window in the Shenzhou-20 capsule had tiny cracks, most likely caused by impact from space debris, the spa