THREE Chinese astronauts stuck in orbit after being hit with fragments of space debris may be forced to deploy “plan B” to return to Earth.
China’s Shenzhou-20 manned spacecraft has delayed its return trip with mystery now surrounding how they became trapped and when they plan on making it back.
The Shenzhou programme regularly ferries teams of three astronauts to Tiangong for six-month missions, during which they conduct scientific research.
But with a historic failure this time Beijing has remained tight-lipped over how it got stuck in orbit.
It remains unclear whether Shenzhou-20 was struck mid-flight or while still docked at Tiangong.
Questions have now emerged over how China plans to get the space crew back to Earth.
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Under established safety protocols, if Shenzhou-20 cannot be repaired then it may have to be left in space.
This would leave the spacemen and women stranded.
But under a so-called plan B, the astronauts would be rescued by the newer Shenzhou-21 who will transport the previous crew home.
Should both vessels be rendered unusable, a backup Shenzhou spacecraft would be dispatched to retrieve the astronauts.
While CMSA officials have not suggested that the situation is critical, history offers cautionary examples.
Last year, two NASA astronauts were stranded aboard the International Space Station for nine month.
This was after a Boeing Starliner spacecraft suffered technical issues that delayed their return.
This growing cloud of material has prompted repeated calls for international cooperation on space traffic management.
The unexpected space collision has raised concerns about the growing danger of space junk and its impact on operations aboard Beijing’s Tiangong space station.
The CMSA said that “an impact analysis and risk assessment are underway,” though it gave no new date for the spacecraft’s return, which had originally been scheduled for Wednesday in northern China.
The delay marks the first time a Shenzhou return mission has been disrupted by debris, highlighting how hazardous Earth’s orbit has become.
Space debris consists of defunct satellites, discarded rocket parts, and fragments from past collisions that drift hundreds of miles above the planet.
These remnants pose an ever-growing threat to active spacecraft and satellites.
At a forum last year, President Xi Jinping urged closer collaboration between China and Arab nations to establish a “space debris observation centre.”
The United Nations has also sounded the alarm.
A UN panel on space traffic coordination warned in 2024 that “urgent action” was needed and called for a shared global database of orbital objects and a formal framework to manage them.
Tensions over space debris are not new.
In 2021, China complained to the UN that Tiangong had been forced to perform two emergency avoidance manoeuvres to dodge fragments from Starlink satellites operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
Beijing and Washington have long accused each other of contributing to the problem.
“A certain superpower, being the first country to conduct anti-satellite weapon tests in outer space, has carried out more such tests and created more space debris than any other country,” China’s permanent mission to the UN wrote in a 2022 document, in a pointed reference to the United States.
For its part, the U.S. has condemned China’s own debris-generating activities.
It described Beijing’s 2007 anti-satellite missile test as “irresponsible.”
This incident destroyed one of its defunct weather satellites and scattered thousands of fragments across orbit
In response to the escalating risks, China has been investing in technologies designed to reduce the build-up of orbital debris.
Among them are deorbiting “sails,” which can unfurl from spacecraft to increase atmospheric drag, hastening their descent and ensuring they burn up safely upon re-entry.
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For now, China’s space agency continues to assess the damage to Shenzhou-20.
Though the delay may be temporary, it serves as a stark reminder that the race to explore space is increasingly shadowed by the remnants of humanity’s past missions.
