Posted on 11/14/2025 5:41:14 AM PST by sockmonkey
HELSINKI — Three Chinese astronauts have safely returned to Earth in the recently-launched Shenzhou-21 spacecraft after their own spacecraft was declared unsafe.
The Shenzhou-21 return module touched down at 3:40 a.m. Eastern (0840 UTC, or 4:40 p.m. Beijing time) Nov. 14 in the Dongfeng landing area in Inner Mongolia, close to the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The Shenzhou-20 crew exceptionally returned to Earth in the spacecraft which launched the Shenzhou-21 astronauts Oct. 31.
Shenzhou-20 astronauts—commander Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie—were extracted from the return module around 30 minutes later by recovery crews. The astronauts thanked the country and its space professionals when interviewed immediately by on-site state media reporters.
The three crew members were initially scheduled to return to Earth Nov. 5, but their departure from the Tiangong space station was postponed due to their Shenzhou-20 spacecraft suffering a suspected small space debris impact.
China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO), the country’s human spaceflight agency, provided an update Nov. 11, stating that assessment and undisclosed rescue plans were proceeding in an orderly fashion. An airspace closure notice appeared Nov. 12, indicating the planned landing of a Shenzhou spacecraft landing Nov. 14, but CMSEO did not provide official comment.
The Shenzhou-21 spacecraft undocked from Tiangong at 10:14 p.m. Eastern Nov. 13 (0314 UTC, Nov. 14), CMSEO announced, also revealing why the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft was deemed unsafe. CMSEO emphasized earlier that it was following a “life first, safety first” approach.
“Based on preliminary analysis of photographs, design review, simulation analysis, and wind tunnel testing, a comprehensive assessment determined that the Shenzhou-20 manned spacecraft’s return capsule window glass had developed a minor crack, most likely caused by an external impact from space debris, thus failing to meet the requirements for a safe crewed return,” a Nov. 14 CMSEO statement read. “The Shenzhou-20 manned spacecraft will remain in orbit to conduct relevant experiments.”
The Shenzhou-20 crew launched April 24 from Jiuquan on a Long March 2F rocket and completed their six-month-long mission aboard Tiangong. The subsequent crew arrived on Shenzhou-21 Oct. 31, with the crews going through a station handover ceremony Nov. 4. The delay made the Shenzhou-20 crew the first to spend more than 200 days consecutively in space.
The return of the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft appears to leave the Shenzhou-21 crew aboard Tiangong with no lifeboat in the case of emergency in the short term. The next steps for CMSEO will be to launch the Shenzhou-22 spacecraft without a crew to Tiangong for the Shenzhou-21 crew. A date for this launch has yet to be announced.
Emergency contingencies for China’s human spaceflight program include keeping a Long March 2F rocket and Shenzhou spacecraft in a state of near readiness at Jiuquan, which could be readied for launch in around 8.5 days in best case scenarios. The country will also deorbit the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft at some point in the future.
Tiangong is a three-module space station completed in late 2022. It is designed to hold three astronauts for stays of around 180 days, while hosting six astronauts for short periods of time during crew changeovers.
Hosting six astronauts aboard Tiangong is sustainable in the short term, with three private sleeping quarters in the Wentian experiment module and three more in the Tianhe core module. The presence of three more astronauts would have drained essential consumables—water, oxygen and food—at a much greater rate and put additional strain on recycling systems and carbon dioxide scrubbers.
The Shenzhou-20 incident highlights the growing issue of space debris in low Earth orbit. Both the International Space Station and Tiangong have needed to maneuver to avoid potential collisions with debris. The most numerous pieces are too small to track using ground-based methods. As objects in low Earth orbit travel at around 8 kilometers per second (though relative velocities of two objects vary) even the impact of a small piece of debris is a highly energetic event.
China aims to keep the Tiangong space station permanently occupied for at least 10 years. CMSEO has commissioned the development of low-cost cargo spacecraft to serve the station and complement the standard Tianzhou cargo spacecraft, and China is also planning to expand the orbital outpost with further modules and a co-orbital space telescope.
Very interesting. Thanks for posting.
They had 20 people up there? Wtf
There are YouTube videos covering the prep in Mongolia several days ago for their return. Also, videos oftheir safe return.
Uh, no.
The state media wants to praise them all the time that there was an interviewer from state media ready to interview the taikonauts ASAP once they were down. It’s not what we see when SpaceX astronauts land when it’s a full debrief and medical check in the boat before flying to a media centre event.
I think what is clearly needed is a cosmic junkyard robot dog prot3cting all the junk in space.
https://www.youtube.com/live/tV-n3vFCE1o?si=1ReH-ytCI0VSIJ2N
Their smiles say everything. Happy for their safe return.
so there’s no way for the Shenzhou-21 crew to get home ?
“so there’s no way for the Shenzhou-21 crew to get home ?”
Safely, no. They could always take their chances with the compromised capsule. They are sending a replacement soon.
Their BBQ chicken wings thing was fake , they were precooked and they used a convection oven to heat them up ,LOL
The Chinese Space Agency has the “next” capsule near the ready, so, in 6 months when the new crew’s 6 mos is up, that capsule will definitely be available.
IIRC, the “next” capsule can be ready in weeks, will be sent unmanned, and be at the ready to return the current crew in case of any unforeseen problem before their 6 month mission ends.
*** Their BBQ chicken wings thing was fake , they were precooked and they used a convection oven to heat them up ,LOL ***
Source, please. This is what I found:
Chinese astronauts on the Tiangong space station are cooking freshly-prepared (not precooked) chicken wings using a new hot-air oven, which allows for actual cooking, complete with browning and chemical reactions, rather than just heating.
This new oven is a major advancement for space cuisine, enabling astronauts to cook from raw ingredients and improving their morale.
China’s space station is also capable of cultivating lettuce, tomatoes and potatoes, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA), which can all be used to cook in the new space oven.
On the International Space Station (ISS), all food is precooked or processed, so can be prepared by adding water or warming up.
not at the same time.
China’s first study of rodent mammals in orbit.
I think ‘mammal’ could have been left out - unless there are some reptile rodents.
Did they bring egg rolls?
Like most bachelors' kitchens on earth.
***Like most bachelors’ kitchens on earth. ***
When reading about the ISS menus, it sounded like a lot of their food is akin to MREs.
The Chinese have 190 menu items on a ten day rotation, plus personal preference items. In case you thought they only eat ramen called rìshì lāmiàn (日式拉面/日式拉麵 “Japanese-style lamian”).
Rotate me OUT!!!
I think you’re safe:
Top fast-food chains in China:
●KFC (肯德基): Widely considered the most popular fast-food chain in China, known for its localized menu and early entry into the market.
●McDonald’s (麦当劳): A strong second, with a significant presence and menu adaptations for the Chinese market.
●Burger King (汉堡王): Another major American player with a strong following.
●Dicos (德克士): A significant Chinese competitor to KFC.
Home Original Chicken / Laoxiangji (老乡鸡): A popular Chinese fast-food brand.
●Real Kungfu (真功夫): A Chinese chain that focuses on traditional Chinese fast-food meals.
Country Style Cooking (乡村基): Another well-known Chinese fast-food company.
●Ajisen Ramen (味千拉面): A Japanese-style ramen chain that is popular in China.
Pizza Hut is popular, but in China it is Casual Dining In
As an aside, my friend and her Dad opened the first two Starbucks in Shanghai in 1998. Starbucks popularity in China has fallen since Luckin Coffee entered the Market. Luckin has also opened locations in NYC.
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