Chinese astronauts head home after debris delay

By Anadolu staff

Three Chinese astronauts began their return to Earth on Friday, more than a week behind schedule after their spacecraft was hit by suspected space debris, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said.

The Shenzhou-21 spacecraft, carrying the Shenzhou-20 astronaut team, undocked from the China Space Station and is expected to touch down later today at the Dongfeng landing site in northern China’s Inner Mongolia region.

CMSA announced on Nov. 5 that the Shenzhou-20 crew’s journey home had been delayed following a likely impact from tiny orbital debris.

The Shenzhou-20 team has spent 188 days in orbit. Mission commander Chen Dong has now logged more than 400 days in space -- the first Chinese astronaut to reach that milestone -- and holds the national record for spacewalks, with six extravehicular activities.