The China Manned Space Engineering Office stated that after the Shenzhou 21 spacecraft successfully separated from the space station assembly on the morning of the 14th, the propulsion module separated from the return capsule in the afternoon, and the return capsule was about to enter the atmosphere. The Shenzhou 20 astronauts Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie officially embarked on their journey home. At around 4:41 pm that afternoon, the return capsule successfully landed at the Dongfeng landing site.
According to Xinhua News Agency, the Shenzhou 20 return mission was originally scheduled for the 5th, but on the 5th, reports emerged that the Shenzhou 20 crewed spacecraft had possibly been struck by a small piece of space debris, and an impact assessment and risk evaluation were underway. To ensure the astronauts’ health and safety as well as the complete success of the mission, it was decided after research to postpone the originally planned return mission on the 5th. Ultimately, Shenzhou 21 traveled to the Chinese space station to retrieve Shenzhou 20’s return capsule and the three astronauts.