Three Chinese astronauts have been forced to extend their six-month stay in space over concerns their return ship may have been hit by debris, China’s space agency said.
Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie were due to return to Earth on Wednesday –– they had even handed over the keys to the Chinese space station to a new crew –– but their journey home was postponed due to a suspected impact on their Shenzhou-20 spaceship, China’s National Space Administration said Wednesday.
“The impact analysis and risk assessment are under way,” the space agency said, without specifying details of any damage or how long it might take to check the ship.
No alternative dates have been given for the return of the trio of taikonauts – Chinese astronauts – who blasted off from the country’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in April.
The news came just days after China, which has rapidly ramped up its space ambition in recent years, celebrated the successful launch of Shenzhou-21.
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