China has been hosting taikonauts at its space station in low-Earth orbit for about four years, and since then there have been few things to worry about. Until now, that is.
According to a statement shared by the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA), the return flight of three taikonauts, who were expecting to return to Earth this week after six months in orbit, has been delayed while they assess damage to the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft.
“The Shenzhou-20 manned spacecraft is suspected of being hit by a tiny piece of space debris, and an impact analysis and risk assessment are under way,” the CMSA said in a widely reported (translated) statement.
The three taikonauts — Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie — remain aboard the Tiangdong space station with three other taikonauts who arrived at the end of last month as a replacement crew.
If the damage to the spacecraft is deemed to pose a threat to the safety of the crew, then the Chinese space agency will have to find another way to bring the taikonauts home.
One option is to send up another spacecraft, though it’s not clear how long that might take to organize.
It’s not the first time that crew members have had to stay in space for longer than planned. Earlier this year, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams finally returned to Earth from the International Space Station after technical issues with their Boeing Starliner spacecraft left them stuck in orbit for nine months longer than expected. The pair ended up returning on a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule.
The dilemma currently facing Chinese space officials highlights the ongoing challenge of space debris in low-Earth orbit, with spent rocket parts and decommissioned satellites — as well as tiny fragments caused by collisions involving these objects — causing an increasing hazard for human crews and operational satellites.
