China abandons Shenzhou-20 spacecraft in orbit after debris damage, crew return on Shenzhou

Three Chinese astronauts returned to Earth on the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft Friday after being stranded on the Chinese space station Tiangong for over a week as debris damage rendered their spacecraft, the Shenzhou-20, unsafe for flight. They said that in the event of an emergency now, China would not have a mechanism to immediately bring down the new crew. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW VIDEO

What happened to the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft?

After the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) determined that a window fracture had rendered the Shenzhou-20 ship unsafe, it was abandoned at the space station. Subsequently, Shenzhou-21, which was scheduled to return to Earth in six months, brought home the Shenzhou-20 crew comprising Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie.

Tiangong, or “Heavenly Palace”, is C