China’s stranded astronauts ‘in good condition’ after space debris delays planned return

The Shenzhou-20 crew stranded at China’s Tiangong space station is reported to be in good condition, working and living normally, China’s Manned Space Engineering Office said Tuesday.

Their scheduled Nov. 5 return to Earth was delayed after the spacecraft was believed to have been struck by a small piece of space debris.

The return has been postponed to an unspecified date, with the mission team conducting tests and drills in the meantime.

The astronauts — Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie — arrived at Tiangong in April and were completing a six-month rotation, the Associated Press has reported.

Meanwhile, the Shenzhou-21 mission successfully docked on Nov. 1, marking the first time mice have been sent for experiments aboard the station, as China continues to advance its space program with plans for a moon landing by 2030.