China has activated emergency plans for three astronauts who are stuck in space after debris crashed into their spacecraft.
A safety assessment and other analysis of the Shenzhou-20 spaceship are being organized, the China Manned Space Engineering Office said in a statement. A rehearsal is also underway at the landing site in Inner Mongolia to prepare for the crew’s return, with “all work is progressing steadily and in an orderly manner as planned,” it said.
The Shenzhou-20 was originally scheduled to return to Earth on Nov. 5, but that was postponed after the spacecraft was suspected to have been struck by small pieces of space debris. The crew has been at the Tiangong space station since late April.
The unexpected delay means there are now six people at the station, following the arrival of the Shenzhou-21 crew on Nov. 1 to take over the mission. Tiangong is in “normal” condition and is capable of supporting two teams of astronauts, according to the space office.
While it’s not unusual for small mission delays to arise — the Shenzhou-19’s return to Earth earlier this year was postponed by a day due to bad weather — the potential for damage to the spacecraft raises the prospect of a more complicated return.
It also highlights the growing dangers of space junk, with volumes rising quickly as more and more companies launch satellites. Since the beginning of the space age in the 1950s, humans have left millions of pieces of used rockets, dead satellites and other detritus in orbit.
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