Chinese Astronauts Return After a Delay Imposed by Space Junk

Recovery crews extracting Shenzhou-20 commander Chen Dong from the Shenzhou-21 return module in Inner Mongolia, Nov. 14, 2025. Credit: CCTV/BACC

The Shenzhou-20 mission's three-person crew has returned home after more than a week of delays caused by damage to their spacecraft, allegedly caused by an impact with a tiny piece of space debris.

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