Chinese Astronauts' Return Delayed After Spacecraft Hit by Debris
China's plans to bring back three astronauts from the Shenzhou-20 mission have been delayed indefinitely after their spacecraft was reportedly struck by a small piece of orbital debris. The crew had been orbiting the Tiangong space station since April, with a planned return date set for November 5.
According to officials, the assessment of the impact and associated risks is still ongoing. However, authorities have deemed it too high-risk to proceed with the original plan, citing concerns about the health and safety of the astronauts.
The incident raises questions about China's capabilities in dealing with space debris and its preparedness for long-duration missions. Experts say that if assessments determine it's too high-risk, authorities may activate a "plan B", which could involve deploying a waiting backup ship on Earth.
China has been steadily advancing its manned space program, conducting 37 flights and six manned missions, with the aim of landing a man on the moon by 2030. The returning Shenzhou-20 team's commander, Chen Dong, holds a Chinese record for the longest cumulative spaceflight, with over 380 days in orbit.
China has faced challenges in its space endeavors due to US laws that bar cooperation with Chinese astronauts at the International Space Station (ISS). Instead, China has sought international cooperation on Tiangong, a collaboration between China and other space agencies.
China's plans to bring back three astronauts from the Shenzhou-20 mission have been delayed indefinitely after their spacecraft was reportedly struck by a small piece of orbital debris. The crew had been orbiting the Tiangong space station since April, with a planned return date set for November 5.
According to officials, the assessment of the impact and associated risks is still ongoing. However, authorities have deemed it too high-risk to proceed with the original plan, citing concerns about the health and safety of the astronauts.
The incident raises questions about China's capabilities in dealing with space debris and its preparedness for long-duration missions. Experts say that if assessments determine it's too high-risk, authorities may activate a "plan B", which could involve deploying a waiting backup ship on Earth.
China has been steadily advancing its manned space program, conducting 37 flights and six manned missions, with the aim of landing a man on the moon by 2030. The returning Shenzhou-20 team's commander, Chen Dong, holds a Chinese record for the longest cumulative spaceflight, with over 380 days in orbit.
China has faced challenges in its space endeavors due to US laws that bar cooperation with Chinese astronauts at the International Space Station (ISS). Instead, China has sought international cooperation on Tiangong, a collaboration between China and other space agencies.
china's got its own space program goin on, but can't even handle some minor debris hittin their spacecraft? 380 days in orbit for one of the astronauts and now it's all delayed because of a tiny piece of space junk? 
i guess you could say they're learnin the hard way how to deal with space debris... maybe china's not ready for moon landing by 2030 yet 
this is so frustrating... i mean, it's not like they're flying a rickety old plane here, these are trained astronauts we're talking about! 
china's been making progress in space for years, i get that safety is important but this feels like a setback. 
what if they're forced to wait months or even longer for a "plan B"? 
it's gonna be tough for them to stay fresh out there for so long... not to mention the whole US law thing, that just adds another layer of complexity to this already complicated situation... sigh 
. I'm sure Chen Dong is totally fine, I mean, 380 days in orbit? That's just a Tuesday for him 
. The US laws might be a pain, but at least they're not stuck with a broken-down spacecraft like China seems to be right now 
they've been pushing so hard to get a man on the moon by 2030 but now this 
these are all good questions that need answers ASAP 
. hope everything works out for chen dong and his crew 
, but seriously, who's gonna be the first human on the moon in 2030? 
china's space program is like, super ambitious but also kinda reckless? i mean they're trying to become the first nation to land a dude on the moon by 2030, which is cool and all, but can't they just get their own act together with this spacecraft thing? 
. at least they're getting some extra training out of it? 380 days in orbit is crazy, that's like, forever! 
but seriously, this is a huge setback for China's plans to land on the moon by 2030. They're gonna need to figure out how to deal with space debris and these kinds of risks if they wanna make it happen. 
. It's not like they're going to be stuck up there forever or anything. I mean, 380 days in orbit? That's crazy long! 
. China needs to find other ways to collaborate with other space agencies if they want to advance their program. Maybe this is a chance for them to figure that out and come back stronger 
.
. This delay might actually be a good thing, it could give China some time to reassess their plans and make sure they're ready for any situation that comes up 
this is such bad timing for china's space program! 
first, they're making great strides but then... debris hits their spacecraft 
it's like they're saying "hey, let's have a space adventure!" and then BAM, something goes wrong 
.
It's not just about winning a space race, it's about protecting human lives.
and btw, 2030 is still a ways off... what else can go wrong? 
. It's like, what's next? Are they gonna have to do a whole new mission just to fix this?