What Happened to the Shenzhou-20 Crew Spacecraft? | China Space Station
The Shenzhou-20 crew spacecraft return mission has been completed successfully. The return capsule landed uncrewed in northwestern China on Monday, January 19, 2026, less than 3 months after tiny cracks were discovered on the capsule’s viewport window.
The return capsule of the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft, carrying no astronauts, touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region at 09:34 (Beijing Time), according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
An on-site inspection confirmed that the exterior of the Shenzhou-20 return capsule was generally intact and the items inside were in good condition, the CMSA said.
Meanwhile, the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft, serving as a backup, has arrived at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center (JSLC), the CMSA added.
China launched the Shenzhou-20 crewed spacecraft on April 24, 2025, sending three astronauts to its orbiting space station for a six-month mission.
However, the Shenzhou-20 crew spacecraft, originally scheduled to return the three astronauts to Earth in November 2025, failed to meet the requirements for their safe return, according to the CMSA.
Tiny cracks have been found in the Shenzhou-20 return capsule's viewport window, most probably caused by an external impact from space debris, the CMSA said.
Duration: 1 minute, 15 seconds
Release Date: Jan. 19, 2026
No comments:
Post a Comment