China officially launched the Shenzhou 22 spacecraft to help bring back a team of astronauts after a non-functional spacecraft left them temporarily stranded on China’s space station on Tuesday.
The Shenzhou 22 which recently arrived at the Tiangong space station, will be used by the current crew for their return to Erath in 2026.
A group of Chinese astronauts from the Shenzhou 20 mission experienced a nine-day delay in their return to Earth after their craft’s window was severely damaged earlier this month.
It has been observed that the three-person crew made a successful landing on Earth, but three of their fellow astronauts in the replacement crew were temporarily left without a guaranteed vehicle to return in case of emergency.
According to state broadcaster CCTV, the damaged Shenzhou-20 spacecraft will remain in space, or it will be deorbited to Earth for analysis if it is deemed unsafe.
In recent years, Chinese astronauts have been accomplishing missions to the Tiangong space station as part of Beijing’s rapidly evolving space program, which previously established the station module by module.
China constructed Tiangong after the country was eliminated from the International Space Station over the US national security concerns.
The successful safe return marks a major success for China’s space program and international cooperation.
Tiangong, also called “Heavenly Palace”, hosted its first crew in 2021; it is smaller than the International Space Station, which has been operational for 25 years.
The recent issue would result in a tragic loss and a global re-evaluation of the safety protocols in crewed space travel.
