Three Chinese astronaurs, or taikonauts, will be delayed unexpectedly on China’s Tiangong space station after their return capsule was struck by a presumed piece of orbital debris on Wednesday. There return date was to be Wednesday. They have been on the space station since April 24.
The taikonauts, Wang Jie, Chen Zhongrui and Chen Dong, return capsule was struck by a piece of what is described as “space junk” hours before it was due to depart. Reports are without explanation as there is still an investigation.
The stated reason for the delay was that the crew’s return capsule “is suspected of being impacted by small space debris,” CMSA representatives wrote in the translated statement. The agency added that an “impact analysis and risk assessment are underway” to ensure the health and safety of all six taikonauts currently on board the space station. However, no other details have yet been released.
The replacement crew arrived on October 31 so there will be a full house until return transportation is resolved