The stranded astronauts of the Chinese space mission “Shenzhou 20” are scheduled to return to Earth today. As the Manned Space Flight Agency announced, all three Man In the replacement space capsule, “Shenzhou 21”, they began their journey home from the “Tiangong” (Heavenly Palace) space station. The three astronauts are in good condition.
Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie should have arrived at the Dongfeng landing area in the Gobi Desert. Authorities did not provide information on the timing, but rumors circulated online that landfall would likely take place in the afternoon (local time).
China had previously postponed the return of “Shenzhou 20” due to suspicions that their spacecraft had collided with space debris. The team of three people went into space about six months ago. Before their return, originally planned for November 5, they handed over the “Tiangong” to people from the “Shenzhou 21” mission, who were also expected to stay there for about six months.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:251114-930-290958/1
