(MENAFN) Three Chinese space travelers face an indefinite delay returning to Earth after their vessel sustained apparent damage from orbital debris, marking an unprecedented setback for Beijing's crewed spaceflight program.

The Shenzhou-20 crew—commander Chen Dong, a seasoned astronaut and former Chinese fighter pilot, alongside Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie—had been set to depart the Tiangong space station and touch down in Inner Mongolia Wednesday. Instead, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) issued a terse online notice canceling the homecoming and ordering the trio to stay put. The astronauts launched into orbit April 24.

The agency reported the spacecraft is "suspected of being struck by small space debris" and is currently performing an impact assessment, refusing to specify when the crew might attempt reentry.

CMSA offered no details regarding the suspected collision's circumstances nor acknowledged the presence of Shenzhou-21, which arrived at Tiangong last week for a scheduled crew rotation. Standard spaceflight procedures dictate that if a return capsule proves unsafe, an alternative spacecraft like Shenzhou-21 can evacuate astronauts.

The Shenzhou program handles crew transportation to and from Tiangong for six-month rotations, during which astronauts perform scientific research and maintain station systems.

Throughout their mission, the Shenzhou-20 astronauts completed four spacewalks outside the Tiangong space station to mount debris protection panels and additional exterior hardware, per official Chinese accounts.

The episode highlights the escalating danger space debris presents to orbital operations. Space refuse—comprised of decommissioned satellites, exhausted rocket boosters, and miscellaneous fragments—circles Earth at extreme velocities, threatening critical space station components and spacecraft with catastrophic collisions.

Though previous Shenzhou missions experienced weather-related delays, this represents the inaugural instance of a Chinese crewed return being postponed over suspected debris impact.

The situation mirrors other recent mission prolongations. Technical failures involving a Boeing Starliner last year stranded two NASA astronauts at the International Space Station for nine months until they secured transportation aboard an alternative craft.

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