Chinese astronauts stranded after debris hit spacecraft return to earth safely

Beijing, Nov 14 (PTI) Three Chinese astronauts, who aborted their departure home after their spacecraft was hit by debris, returned to earth safely on Friday.

The return capsule of the Shenzhou-21 spaceship, carrying the astronauts Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie, touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said.

They were scheduled to return on November 5, but their journey was postponed at the last minute after “small” space debris hit the station, according to CMSA.

Official media earlier reported that the crew was unable to return on their own spacecraft after tiny cracks were found in the porthole of the Shenzhou-20’s return capsule – damage that was likely caused by the debris impact.

The incident, the first since the space station was launched in 2011, sparked concerns here as the station was built to accommodate three astronauts.

China rotates the crew at the station every six months.

The Shenzhou-21 spaceship undocked from the space station combination and the return capsule touched down at 4:40 p m Beijing time at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, CMSA said.

  The astronauts are all in good health. They had spent 204 days in orbit, setting a new record for the longest in-orbit stay among Chinese astronauts, the CMSA added.

China built its space station after it was reportedly excluded from the International Space Station (ISS) over concerns that China's space programme is manned by its military, the People's Liberation Army (PLA). PTI KJV RD RD