Three Chinese astronauts returned safely to Earth on Friday afternoon following a nine-day delay caused by damage to their spacecraft from space debris, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) revealed that “tiny cracks” were discovered in a small window of the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft’s return capsule. In a statement, CMSA said, “The capsule does not meet the safety requirements for a crewed return. Shenzhou-20 will remain in orbit and conduct relevant experiments.”

Safe return via Shenzhou-21

To bring the crew back, they departed Tiangong aboard the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft, touching down at the Dongfeng landing site in Inner Mongolia at 4:40 p.m. local time (0840 GMT). The mission had been proceeding smoothly since its launch in April until the debris in

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