“For here/Am I sitting in a tin can/Far above the world/Planet Earth is blue/And there’s nothing I can do” (Space Oddity – David Bowie)
Around the planet, people were drawn to the news that three Chinese taikonauts (their term for astronauts) are stranded in orbit aboard the Tiangong space station, after it was discovered that their re-entry capsule was damaged by space junk.
The Chinese Manned Space Engineering office stated yesterday (11) that the crew is ‘in good condition, working and living normally’.
China shared some footage of both Shenzhou 20 & 21 collaborating on Tiangong
Still nothing clear on the Shenzhou 20 crew return plan pic.twitter.com/DRFawlw6hI
— Brie ☭ (@BanhmiBrieoche) November 12, 2025
ABC News reported:
“The three astronauts on the Shenzhou-20 mission are facing a delayed return to Earth after their scheduled Nov. 5 return was aborted after their spacecraft was believed to have been struck by a small piece of space debris.”
The return of the crew has been delayed ‘to an unspecified date’.
“’The Shenzhou-20 crew is in good condition, working and living normally’, the statement said.”
The three taikonauts traveled to the Tiangong space station in April and had come to the end of their six-month rotation.
China is reportedly preparing to rescue the crew.
A full simulation analysis, safety assessment & testing of the spacecraft have been conducted, along with planning for the #Shenzhou20 crew’s return.
China Manned Space Agency said the #Tiangong space station remains in good condition and can support both crews in orbit. pic.twitter.com/ke29opOjJW— Wu Lei (@wulei2020) November 11, 2025
Scientific American reported:
“In a statement, the China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSE) said engineers have carried out extensive tests on a backup capsule that they plan to use to bring the three men back to Earth.
‘All work is progressing steadily and orderly according to plan’, the agency said.
China’s Tiangong, which spans some 180 feet, typically hosts a crew of three astronauts in six-month stints. A new three-person crew arrived at the space station to take over from the stranded astronauts in October.
But because of the space debris emergency, both crews remain onboard. While unusual, the station is designed to support two crews in orbit simultaneously, CMSE said.”
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