Three more Chinese astronauts, or taikonauts, are now marooned in space following the successful return of their previously stranded comrades. The latest development highlights a potential flaw in China's space protocols, experts say, which could put astronauts needlessly at risk.
The latest stranded trio — Zhang Lu, Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang — are the crew of the Shenzhou-21 mission. They have been living onboard China's Tiangong space station since Oct. 31, shortly after they were launched into space by a Long March 2F rocket. Their mission was to take over from the station's incumbent Shenzhou-20 crew, made up of taikonauts Wang Jie, Chen Zhongrui and Chen Dong, who were originally due to return to Earth on Nov. 5.
