The Chinese Shenzhou 20 spacecraft, which was suspected to have been struck by micro debris in space, successfully returned to Earth on the 19th.
The return capsule of the Shenzhou 20 spacecraft landed at the Dongfeng landing site at 9:34 in the morning. After on-site inspection, it was confirmed that the overall external appearance of the return capsule was normal, and the downlinked items inside were in good condition. The return mission of the Shenzhou 20 spacecraft was a complete success.
The Shenzhou 20 spacecraft was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on April 24, 2025, and successfully docked with the Chinese space station. In early November, due to a suspected impact by micro debris in space, its return was postponed and related experiments were carried out while it remained in orbit. The spacecraft departed from the space station at 12:23 a.m. on January 19, 2026, and returned unmanned after staying in orbit for 270 days, verifying its ability to remain docked for 9 months.
The Shenzhou 20 astronaut crew returned safely on November 14 last year aboard the Shenzhou 21 spacecraft.
According to reports, to reduce the risks of the Shenzhou 20 spacecraft's return, on December 9, 2025, the Shenzhou 21 astronaut crew used an extravehicular activity to take close-up photographs of the Shenzhou 20 return capsule window with a high-definition camera, further confirming the condition of the crack in the window. In addition, along with the emergency launch of Shenzhou 22, a device for handling the window crack was urgently developed and sent up, which astronauts installed inside the Shenzhou 20 spacecraft to effectively improve its heat resistance and sealing during the return process.
Currently, the Shenzhou 23 spacecraft, which will take over the rolling backup mission, has been delivered to the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, and the Long March 2F Yao-23 carrier rocket is about to leave the factory for transport.
The Shenzhou 20 spacecraft was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on April 24, 2025, and successfully docked with the Chinese space station. In early November, due to a suspected impact by micro debris in space, its return was postponed and related experiments were carried out while it remained in orbit. The spacecraft departed from the space station at 12:23 a.m. on January 19, 2026, and returned unmanned after staying in orbit for 270 days, verifying its ability to remain docked for 9 months.
The Shenzhou 20 astronaut crew returned safely on November 14 last year aboard the Shenzhou 21 spacecraft.
According to reports, to reduce the risks of the Shenzhou 20 spacecraft's return, on December 9, 2025, the Shenzhou 21 astronaut crew used an extravehicular activity to take close-up photographs of the Shenzhou 20 return capsule window with a high-definition camera, further confirming the condition of the crack in the window. In addition, along with the emergency launch of Shenzhou 22, a device for handling the window crack was urgently developed and sent up, which astronauts installed inside the Shenzhou 20 spacecraft to effectively improve its heat resistance and sealing during the return process.
Currently, the Shenzhou 23 spacecraft, which will take over the rolling backup mission, has been delivered to the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, and the Long March 2F Yao-23 carrier rocket is about to leave the factory for transport.