3 Chinese astronauts stranded in space station, debris strikes return capsule

Three Chinese astronauts are stranded aboard the country’s Tiangong space station after space debris allegedly struck the capsule they planned to fly home, Beijing’s space agency said.

The Shenzhou-20 team was scheduled to return to Earth on Wednesday, but their mission was suddenly extended after engineers conducted an impact analysis of their spacecraft, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said in a statement.

The return craft is believed to have been hit by space junk, with the astronaut’s mission extended indefinitely, according to state broadcaster CCTV, which offered no further details.

Mission commander Chen Dong, fighter pilot Chen Zhongrui, and engineer Wang Jie have been aboard the space station since April as part of their 6-month rotation. 

CMSA has not specified on the extent of the damages to the return craft, nor did the agency say what repairs, if any, will be required. 

Space junk — debris left behind from previous launches — have become an increasing hazard in low orbit, threatening future spaceflights from any nations. 

If the Shenzhou-20 team’s craft is deemed unusable, the three astronauts will have to use the second capsule at the space station, which arrived on Saturday with a new crew to take over.

Astronauts Zhang Hongzhang, Wu Fei, and Zhang Lu had successfully docked with the station over the weekend to prepare for their tour as the Shenzhou-20 team was set to leave.

The Shenzhou program rotates its three-person crew every six months, with the astronauts tasked with carrying out scientific experiments and maintaining the Tiangong station.  

China has continued to expand its spaceflight program since its launch in 2003, with Beijing eyeing to land its astronauts on the moon by 2030. 

With Post wires