Emergency mission took just 20 days to liftoff.
Despite out many geopolitical and ideological differences here on Earth, whenever there’s trouble in Space humankind reacts as one – as was the case of the Chinese astronauts (or rather, Taikonauts) stranded in orbit.
And we are all glad to learn of the good news.
The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) has announced that it successfully sent the uncrewed Shenzhou 22 to the Tiangong Space station, to be the vehicle for the Shenzhou 21 crew.
And the three Chinese astronauts now have safe ride home from space.
China launched the unmanned Shenzhou-22 to the Tiangong space station, providing astronauts with a return craft after Shenzhou-20 was damaged by space debris https://t.co/KRt7A0YUPW pic.twitter.com/jHkjGBvA4N
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 25, 2025
Space.com reported:
“The uncrewed Shenzhou 22 spacecraft arrived at Tiangong space station today (Nov. 25) at 2:50 a.m. EST (0750 GMT and 3:50 p.m. Beijing time), about 3.5 hours after launching to orbit atop a Long March 2F/G rocket.
Shenzhou 22 is an unprecedented mission for China — an emergency flight mounted on a short timeline to help out three astronauts who have been ‘stuck’ on Tiangong for the past 10 days.”
The Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center has officially declared the Shenzhou-22 launch a success following initial spacecraft status checks. The spacecraft is now on a rapid trajectory to rendezvous with the China Space Station in approximately 3 hours https://t.co/ecrimcWALX pic.twitter.com/FBt9okNEb6
— China ‘N Asia Spaceflight ️ (@CNSpaceflight) November 25, 2025
The Shenzhou 20 crew ran into trouble when their capsule was found to have been damaged by space junk.
So, the solution was return them to Earth on the Shenzhou 21’s capsule but that, of course, left the crew that took over the Space Station from them without any way to return to Earth.
“China is prepared for such eventualities, however. The nation keeps a backup Long March 2F/G rocket and Shenzhou capsule in a state of near-readiness at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert and can fast-track a launch should the need arise.
China activated this contingency plan in the wake of the Shenzhou 20 debris strike, getting the uncrewed rescue mission off the ground just 20 days later.”
China’s unmanned Shenzhou-22 docks with Tiangong space station
The launch was triggered after the Shenzhou-20 return capsule was hit by orbital debris last week
The impact meant the capsule could not ensure the astronauts’ safe return, forcing the crew to wait for a new one https://t.co/oOfTHhTBJC pic.twitter.com/jxHI1muZ3d
— RT (@RT_com) November 25, 2025
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