Stranded Chinese astronauts return home after debris delays landing

File photo of Chinese astronauts Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie before their spaceflight mission, at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center near Jiuquan, Gansu province, China on April 23, 2025. - China Daily/ANN

BEIJING: The Shenzhou XX mission crew returned to Earth on Friday (Nov 14) afternoon, nine days later than their scheduled landing, ending an extended stay aboard the Tiangong space station after a suspected debris hit left their spaceship with a cracked window.

A re-entry capsule carrying the three astronauts — mission commander Senior Colonel Chen Dong and crew members Colonel Chen Zhongrui and Colonel Wang Jie — touched down on the Dongfeng Landing Site in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region at 4:40 pm, after flying more than five hours on the Earth-bound journey.