BEIJING (Realist English). China is preparing an emergency mission to retrieve three astronauts from its Tiangong space station, after debris struck their return vessel last week, forcing the country’s first in-orbit schedule change since its crewed space programme began in 2003.
According to two sources close to the China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSE), a new spacecraft — Shenzhou-22 — is being readied at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi Desert to bring the stranded crew safely back to Earth. The craft, originally designated for the next crew rotation, is now being stocked and tested under accelerated procedures.
CMSE said in a statement that “emergency plans and measures have been immediately activated in line with the principle of ‘life above all, safety first’,” though it did not specify operational details.
The damaged Shenzhou-20 capsule, which was meant to return the astronauts, will now likely re-enter Earth’s atmosphere without its crew, officials said. While the spacecraft sustained only minor damage and remains stable in orbit, engineers fear that re-entry could expose it to extreme thermal and structural stress.
“Re-entry is the riskiest phase of any mission,” one insider noted. “The team decided to play it safe and rely on the backup system.”
Under the revised plan, Shenzhou-22 will deliver fresh supplies to Tiangong before ferrying commander Chen Dong, operator Chen Zhongrui, and flight engineer Wang Jie back to Earth. It is unclear when the launch will occur, as the launch pad is still being reconfigured following the Shenzhou-21 mission that delivered a replacement crew to Tiangong on October 31.
The handover between the two crews was expected to last just a few days, with the Shenzhou-20 trio scheduled to return on November 5. However, after last week’s debris strike, CMSE postponed the return, saying it was “studying the implementation plan for bringing the astronauts home” and that “all systems are proceeding steadily as planned.”
Officials emphasized that the crew remains in good physical and mental condition, continuing experiments and routine work with their newly arrived colleagues. Tiangong’s life-support systems can sustain six astronauts simultaneously for extended periods.
China has maintained a backup rescue system since 2021, allowing a fully fueled spacecraft and rocket to remain on standby at Jiuquan for rapid deployment in case of emergencies. This will be the first time the system is put to the test.
“The top priority is always the astronauts’ safety,” one source said. “This incident will show how effective China’s emergency response capability really is.”
The disruption, however, has delayed several other planned launches from Jiuquan, including Landspace’s Zhuque-3, which aims to become the world’s second reusable rocket after SpaceX’s Falcon 9.
While the setback appears manageable, it underscores the growing risks of orbital debris. NASA faced a similar crisis last year when two U.S. astronauts were forced to remain aboard the International Space Station for nine months after a Boeing Starliner suffered technical malfunctions — a reminder that even advanced space programmes remain vulnerable to the hazards of Earth’s crowded orbit.
