World

Stranded Chinese astronauts 'in good condition'

By AAP Newswire

Nov 12, 2025

Wang Jie, Chen Dong and Chen Zhongrui travelled to the Tiangong space station in April. -AP

Stranded crew members of a Chinese space mission are "in good condition, working and living normally," China's Manned Space Engineering office says.

Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content

The three astronauts on the Shenzhou-20 mission are facing a delayed return to earth after their scheduled November 5 return was aborted after their spacecraft was believed to have been struck by a small piece of space debris.

The return has been pushed back to an unspecified date but the mission team is carrying out tests and drills, according to a statement issued by the space agency.

"The Shenzhou-20 crew is in good condition, working and living normally," the statement said.

The three astronauts - Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie - travelled to the Tiangong space station in April and were finishing their six-month rotation.

The replacement Shenzhou-21 mission successfully docked with the space station on November 1, carrying for the first time a group of mice for experiments.

China has made steady progress with its space program since 2003.

It has built its own space station and has a goal of landing a person on the moon by 2030.