Three astronauts are stuck on China’s space station without a safe ride home

After spending 204 days in orbit, three Chinese astronauts successfully returned to Earth on Friday via a Shenzhou spacecraft, concluding their mission. Commander Chen Dong, who has now completed three spaceflights, along with his rookie colleagues Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie, landed at the Dongfeng landing zone at 1:29 AM EST (06:29 UTC). Their parachute-assisted landing took place in the Gobi Desert, a remote area in northwestern China. However, the return was overshadowed by significant issues at the Tiangong space station, where three astronauts remain stranded due to a malfunctioning lifeboat. Just a week prior, Chinese space officials had to alter their operations after discovering damage to one of the Shenzhou return capsules docked at the station. The China Manned Space Agency, which operates under military oversight, announced this change on November 4, coinciding with the planned departure of the crew. The astronauts had been readying to board the Shenzhou 20 spacecraft to return home shortly after three replacement crew members arrived on the newly launched Shenzhou 21 capsule. Unfortunately, Chinese officials indicated that the Shenzhou 20 spacecraft may have sustained damage from space debris, resulting in a postponed return trip. Specifics about the situation remained unclear until just hours before the astronauts’ landing. In a statement released earlier this week, the China Manned Space Agency confirmed that preparations for the crew's undocking and landing were in progress, yet details about the return remained vague. Finally, on Thursday evening, they revealed that an assessment had found a minor crack in the return capsule window glass, likely caused by an impact from space debris, which prevented a safe return. The agency emphasized that this damage did not meet the safety criteria for the astronauts' homecoming.