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The robotic Shenzhou-22 reentry module was sent skyward on Monday night (Nov. 24) atop a Long March 2F rocket. It is slated to eventually transport the marooned Shenzhou-21 taikonauts back to our planet early in the coming year.(Image credit: VCG/VCG via Getty Images)ShareShare by:
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Three Chinese spacefarers, left in orbit for over a week, now possess a secure route back to Earth, as an uncrewed “lifeboat” spacecraft was dispatched to join them in orbit at the Tiangong space station. However, the group won’t be heading home until spring of 2026, which marks the expected completion of their original mission.
This salvage operation wraps up a nearly month-long narrative, which began when a fragment of speculated space debris struck and damaged another reentry capsule mere hours before its passengers were scheduled to leave the space station — instigating a cascade of orbital isolations.
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On Monday (Nov. 24), the robotic Shenzhou-22 vehicle was successfully propelled into low Earth orbit (LEO) by a Long March 2F rocket, lifting off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China around 11:11 p.m. EST, as reported by Live Science’s sister site, Space.com. The vacant reentry module, which has subsequently linked with the Tiangong station, is slated to eventually carry home the Shenzhou-21 team — Zhang Lu, Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang — who got there on Oct. 31.
The astronaut trio was dispatched to substitute the Shenzhou-20 crew — Wang Jie, Chen Zhongrui and Chen Dong — who were initially planned to make their return on Nov. 5, following a six-month duration in space. Nevertheless, subsequent to a prosperous handover with the Shenzhou-21 group, the reentry mission was canceled at the final moment, when the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) detected a significant fracture in the viewing port of their reentry capsule.
The Shenzhou-21 crew — Zhang Lu (right), Wu Fei (center) and Zhang Hongzhang (left) — have been marooned on the Tiangong space station since the Shenzhou-20 crew returned to Earth on their return capsule on Nov. 14. This photo was taken shortly before they launched into space on Oct. 31.
The Shenzhou-20 group has since arrived back on Earth aboard the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft, landing in the Gobi Desert on Nov. 14. Nevertheless, this signaled that the Shenzhou-21 team was stranded on Tiangong without a dependable route back. The compromised Shenzhou-20 capsule has stayed docked to the space station all through this situation and might have been utilized as a last resort. However, this was not officially confirmed. (The impaired spacecraft is likely to be detached from the station and deorbited soon.)
“I’m extremely pleased that they [Shenzhou-20 crew] made it home, but it is a bit unsettling that the substitution group does not seemingly have a vehicle to return to Earth,” Victoria Samson, primary director of space protection and stability at the Colorado-based nonprofit Secure World Foundation, previously communicated to Scientific American.
The scenario played out precisely as CMSA protocols dictated. But what is still unclear is why these protocols permit a crew to be stuck in orbit without a practical reentry capsule, or why it necessitated more than a week to launch Shenzhou-22 into orbit, notably as the spare reentry capsule and its launch rocket have been on standby since before the whole event started, as reported by Space News.
If an urgent event, like a fire or another space debris hit, had transpired on Tiangong, the isolated trio might not have been safely moved. Thankfully, that did not occur. Still, it was a gamble.
The Shenzhou-20 crew safely landed in the Gobi Desert on Nov. 14. This photo shows the crew’s commander Chen Dong, being escorted away from the Shenzou-21 return capsule
This situation parallels another recent “stranded astronaut story,” which involved NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. This pair got to the International Space Station (ISS) in June 2024 for a near week-long mission. Nevertheless, they ended up staying there for roughly nine months after their Boeing Starliner capsule underwent multiple mechanical failures and ultimately came back to Earth in March.
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Before that, in 2023, NASA astronaut Frank Rubio unwittingly set the record for the longest solo spaceflight by an American (371 days), after his reentry capsule was struck by a meteoroid as it docked with the ISS, thus postponing his departure.
However, in these prior instances, the stranded astronauts could have securely made their way back to Earth at any moment aboard the remaining reentry capsules already attached to the ISS.
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Along with underscoring the urgent need to clear away space debris from LEO, certain researchers deem the latest event proof that we require some global space rescue system equipped to bring back stranded astronauts in emergency scenarios, according to Space.com. One specialist characterized it as a “major wake-up call.”
It would appear, however, that the CMSA is not concerned regarding a repeat event soon.
“This emergency launch is a premiere for China, yet I hope it will be the last in humanity’s expedition through space,” CMSA official He Yuanjun communicated to state media following the Shenzhou-22 launch, according to Reuters.
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Harry BakerSocial Links NavigationSenior Staff Writer
Harry is a U.K.-based senior staff writer at Live Science. He studied marine biology at the University of Exeter before training to become a journalist. He covers a wide range of topics including space exploration, planetary science, space weather, climate change, animal behavior and paleontology. His recent work on the solar maximum won “best space submission” at the 2024 Aerospace Media Awards and was shortlisted in the “top scoop” category at the NCTJ Awards for Excellence in 2023. He also writes Live Science’s weekly Earth from space series.
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