China Launches Uncrewed Shenzhou Capsule For 3 Astronauts Stuck On Tiangong Space Station
China Launches Uncrewed Shenzhou Capsule For 3 Astronauts Stuck On Tiangong Space Station
Three Chinese astronauts won’t be “stranded” in orbit for much longer.
ALong March2F/G rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China tonight (Nov. 24) at 11:11 p.m. EST (0411 GMT and 12:11 p.m.
on Nov. 25 Beijing time).
Shenzhou missions typically fly three astronauts to Tiangong, where they stay for six-month stints. However, the Shenzhou 22 vehicle is uncrewed, because it will serve as the ride home for the orbiting outpost’s three current residents.
Those astronauts are flying on theShenzhou 21mission, which arrived at Tiangongon Halloween night. But the spacecraft they rode up on is already gone; it was pressed into service to take their predecessors, the Shenzhou 20 trio, homeon Nov. 14.
The Shenzhou 20 astronauts were supposed to leave Tiangong on Nov. 5, but inspections revealed a crack in the window of their spacecraft, the apparent consequence of an impact by a piece ofspace debris. Chinese space officialsdelayed the crew’s departureto analyze the issue, then ultimately deemed the Shenzhou 20 craft unsafe to take astronauts down to Earth.
So, for the past 10 days, the Shenzhou 21 astronauts have been in a somewhat precarious position: Should Tiangong suffer a serious problem, they haveno way to safely evacuate.
That is about to change. Provided that Shenzhou 22 docks with Tiangong as planned about 4.5 hours after launch, the Shenzhou 21 astronauts will serve out the remainder of their half-year mission aboard the outpost. They will be relieved by the three astronauts of Shenzhou 23, which is expected to launch in April 2026.
The Shenzhou 20 capsule will need to leave before Shenzhou 23 arrives to free up a docking port. Chinese space officials have said the damaged spacecraft will remain in orbit for a spell to host some experiments, but they have not yet announced a timeline for its departure.
The Shenzhou ordeal follows on the heels of another “stranded astronaut” saga. Boeing’sStarlinerastronaut taxi experienced problems shortly after its June 2024 launch to theInternational Space Station(ISS) on its first-ever crewed flight, which was supposed to last just 10 days or so. NASA ultimately decided to bring the vehicle home uncrewedin September of that yearwhich happened without incident.
The two Starliner astronauts, NASA’s Suni Williams and Butch Wil , ended up staying on the ISS for than nine months (though they were never actually stranded, as at least one functional “lifeboat” spacecraft was always attached to the ISS during their stay). The duo ultimatelycame home on a SpaceX Dragon capsulein March of this year.
The two off-nominal situations have increased calls in some quarters for a “space rescue service” — one that could help astronauts in need in a timely fashion, whichever country they may represent.
Disclaimer: This news article has been republished exactly as it appeared on its original source, without any modification. We do not take any responsibility for its content, which remains solely the responsibility of the original publisher.
Author:[email protected] (Mike Wall)
Published on:2025-11-25 08:33:00
Source: www.space.com
Disclaimer: This news article has been republished exactly as it appeared on its original source, without any modification.
We do not take any responsibility for its content, which remains solely the responsibility of the original publisher.
Author: uaetodaynews
Published on: 2025-11-25 05:42:00
Source: uaetodaynews.com
