China prepares to bring home astronauts stranded on Tiangong space station
Officials say ‘emergency plans’ have been activated, while sources say a new return vessel would be sent to replace one hit by debris
Two people familiar with the crewed space programme said Shenzhou-22, originally built for the next crew rotation, was being prepared and stocked at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi Desert.
The China Manned Space Engineering (CMSE) office said on Tuesday that “emergency plans and measures have been immediately activated in line with the principle of ‘life above all, safety first’”, but did not specify what the plans were.
Shenzhou-20, the vessel that was meant to bring the crew home, is now likely to return to Earth without the three astronauts.
The damage it suffered after hitting the debris was not considered serious and it could safely remain in orbit, one of the sources said.
“But re-entry exposes the craft to extreme heat and other stresses, so the team has decided to play it safe,” he said.