Space debris may have hit a Chinese spacecraft, delaying return of Shenzhou 20 astronauts

Chinese astronauts installed debris shielding on the Tiangong space station during a six-hour spacewalk on Sept. 26, 2025.

Three Chinese astronauts will live in space a little longer, after their return vehicle was hit by a suspected space debris impact.

The astronauts are part of the Shenzhou 20 mission, which launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on April 24 and arrived at Tiangong after a six-hour orbital chase.