Chinese astronauts describe moment a crack was discovered on Shenzhou-20 spacecraft
Chinese astronauts described what happened when they were almost stuck in space last year, after a suspected piece of space debris hit their return capsule.
Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie, the crew of the ill-fated Shenzhou-20 mission, were preparing to leave China’s Tiangong space station and return to Earth on November 5, 2025. During a routine check, the astronauts spotted something unusual, triggering what has since been described as China’s first spaceflight emergency.
Look on it
“My first thought was whether a small sheet was stuck outside the window,” Chen said in the interview broadcast by China Central Television (CCTV). “But I quickly realized that couldn’t happen because we were in space. How could there be a fallen leaf there?”
Chen determined that the leaf-shaped mark was the result of cracks on the window, some of which he said “penetrated through.” His team then worked with the Shenzhou-21 rescue team and ground teams on Earth to check and confirm the condition of the window. The taikonauts (Chinese astronauts) have previously described taking a methodical approach to what could have been a perilous event.
“When we learned of the situation, we had discussions and reached a common agreement,” said astronaut Chen Zhongrui. told CCTV during a press briefing on January 17. “At the same time, the ground teams communicated with us quickly and we quickly calmed down.”
The taikonauts arrived at Tiangong (Mandarin for “heavenly palace”) from the space station on April 24, 2025. Their original departure date of November 5 was pushed back after the crack was discovered, but they were able to return home 9 days later aboard the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft that had delivered their rescue team.
The three taikonauts landed safely in northern China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on November 14. The crew spent 204 days in orbit, which was a record for a taikonaut crew, although far from the record for a taikonaut crew. the longest time humans have spent in space (437 days).
The quantity of space waste in Earth orbit is increasing. This waste, which includes items such as rocket boosters and other discarded space travel objects, has the potential to collide with uncrewed and crewed spacecraft and thus puts astronauts at risk. Various methods have been proposed to address the growing space debris problem, including the development of sci-fi inspired tractor rays And garbage capture spacecraft. But so far, no potential solution is ready for large-scale deployment.
