Chinese astronauts returned to Earth after a delay caused by space debris. The Chinese astronauts from the Shenzhou-20 mission landed safely on November 14, 2025. Their return was pushed back by one week after a piece of debris struck their spacecraft and cracked a window. Because of this damage, the crew used the newly arrived Shenzhou-21 spacecraft to come home.

The crew included Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie. They had planned to return on November 5. Mission teams investigated the damage while all six astronauts on the station worked with ground control to review the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft.

China’s space agency said the cracked window made the capsule unsafe for landing. The crew then boarded Shenzhou-21 on November 13 at 10:14 p.m. EST. They landed in Inner Mongolia at 11:14 a.m. Beijing Time the next day. Medical teams checked all three astronauts and confirmed they were healthy.

Chen Dong told reporters that spaceflight always brings risk. He said the mission proved the strength of China’s space program and highlighted its focus on astronaut safety.

The China Manned Space Engineering Office released its findings soon after the landing. The team completed design checks, photos, simulations, and wind tunnel tests. They concluded that a small piece of debris most likely struck the window. Because of this, Shenzhou-20 will stay in orbit for experiments instead of returning to Earth.

Shenzhou-21 launched on October 31, 2025 with astronauts Zhang Lu, Wu Fei, and Zhang Hongzhang. They now live and work on the Tiangong space station. Their departure spacecraft has not arrived yet, but Shenzhou-22 is expected to launch without a crew to fill that role.

The Shenzhou-20 mission reached several milestones. Chen Dong completed six spacewalks, which is a new record for a Chinese astronaut. The delay also pushed the mission past 200 days in space, making the crew the first from China to pass that mark. The Shenzhou-20 and Shenzhou-21 crews also became the first astronauts to enjoy a barbecue meal in space.

The incident marks an important moment for China’s space program. The team showed it can manage emergencies and keep operations running. Tiangong continues to support research as the International Space Station nears retirement. China aims to keep human activity in Low Earth Orbit active for years to come.