Three Astronauts Stranded In Space After 'unknown Object' Strikes Their Ship

THREE Chinese astronauts have been left stranded in orbit after their return capsule was struck by what officials believe was space debris.

Astronauts Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie have been aboard the Tiangong space station, dubbed China’s “Heavenly Palace”, since April.

They were scheduled to return to Earth on November 5, but their journey home has been postponed after damage was found on their capsule’s hull.

Officials at China’s Manned Spaceflight Agency (CMSA) believe it was caused by a small piece of space debris.

The agency said on Wednesday: “The Shenzhou-20 manned spacecraft is suspected of being hit by a tiny piece of space debris, and an impact analysis and risk assessment are under way.”

The astronauts’ replacements, who launched aboard Shenzhou-21 last Friday, had already arrived at Tiangong before the collision was detected.

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Both crews are now working together to inspect the spacecraft and assess whether repairs can make it safe for re-entry.

The CMSA said: “To ensure the safety and health of the astronauts and the success of the mission, it has been decided that the Shenzhou-20 return mission, originally scheduled for 5 November, will be postponed.”

Officials have not disclosed how long the delay will last or whether the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft could be used as a backup return vehicle.

The suspect impact highlight the growing problem of space debris in low Earth orbit.

This “floating garbage” includes fragments from old satellites, rocket parts, and even tools lost during spacewalks.

All of it is hurtling around the planet at speeds of up to 17,000mph.

Experts estimate there are more than 19,000 tracked pieces of debris in orbit, with potentially half a million smaller fragments too tiny to monitor.

The Shenzhou-20 incident comes after two NASA astronauts were stranded on the International Space Station following a separate spacecraft malfunction.

Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams finally made a triumphant splash down on Earth in March, after being stuck in space for a gruelling nine months.

The pair returned home in a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft alongside two rescue mission astronauts when the capsule landed off the Florida coast.

Their capsule, called Freedom, made a dramatic splashdown near Tallahassee, with dolphins gliding through the water around it.

The landing marked the end of a far longer-than-planned mission that began in June 2024 and stretched to 286 days.

Crew members, beaming with relief, were carefully helped out of the spacecraft one by one and placed into wheelchairs after nearly a year in space.

Smiling and waving to photographers, the returning astronauts celebrated the close of their extraordinary nine-month ordeal.

Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Sunni” Williams had initially been sent on a days-long mission to test out Boeing‘s Starliner on its first crewed flight.